Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans, and Others Are Demanding Their Rightful Place in Public Life, by JAY WEXLER

Extract

Jay Wexler, a law professor who specializes in church/state issues, writes with verve and clarity about the growing trend of non-Christians using legal precedents won by Christians to demand equal rights and opportunity in American public life. Wexler, who identifies as an atheist, contends that a “religiously cacophonous public square” (16) is “preferable to one dominated exclusively by Christian voices” (10) because it is more consistent with American ideals of inclusivity and freedom. Religious pluralism in public life, he claims, could result in minority empowerment, greater tolerance, a more educated citizenry, and “possible long-term social peace” (171).

Wexler’s argument in Our Non-Christian Nation is based on two sets of legal and social changes over the past few decades. First, the U.S. Supreme Court has moved from a strict separationist paradigm to one favoring “religion’s right to access public money, property, and institutions” (5). Second, American religious demographics show increasing diversity and disaffiliation. In light of these changes, Wexler urges non-Christians to “devote their energies to taking advantage of the Court’s precedents and demanding their rightful place in American public life alongside the Christian majority” (7).