Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Book Giveaway! "The Right to Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America"

... Ask either faction whether it believes religious liberty is a human right and you’ll get a passionate, tub-thumping — mostly hypocritical — speech in favor of the idea. That’s because religious freedom is so familiar, so American a concept that nobody can really admit to opposing it. That would be like opposing apple pie. So even those who are at each other’s throats over religious liberty have to insist they all absolutely love the stuff. Instead of confessing that they’re actually opposed to religious freedom for all, the Pilgrims and the Park Rangers among us equivocate. When they say they support “religious freedom,” the Pilgrims mean the freedom of their religion, while the Park Rangers mean freedom from others’ religions. That way, they can all sound so very American — they can say they’re in favor of something called religious freedom — and still be as oppressive as they want to be.
I'm a huge fan of The Right to Be Wrong by Kevin Seamus Hasson, which has just had an updated paperback version released.

I believe if we respected each person's right to conscience, their "right to be wrong," our country would be a much more peaceful place. My ability to articulate this belief was both solidified and made easier to articulate when I read Hasson's book. It's a book we all need to read in these contentious times.

Hasson is a constitutional lawyer who heads up a non-partisan, public-interest law firm that specializes in defending free religious expression for all faiths. Hasson asserts, “We defend all faiths but we are not relativists. On any given day, I think most of my clients are wrong. But I firmly believe that, in an important sense, they have the right to be wrong.” This is not a very long book and it is written in a conversational and easy style, but it packs a heavy punch.

The updated book adds a chapter and afterward that discuss the latest set of religious struggles, which have been elevated past the tussles over Nativity scenes on government property to include federal healthcare insurance.

Read my original, indepth review here.

To enter for a chance to win a copy, leave a comment for this post!

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like my kind of book. And if it is not very long, as you say, I may even be able to elevate it to the number one spot on my TBR list. Of course, I'll need to win it first so...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, this would be a great book for discussion in the Beyond Sunday book club. Especially after we recently read Ross Douthat's book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Definitely a book I'd be interested in reading. As a Millenial, we live in a society where everyone's opinions are equal and valid. Would be curious to see how this author frames his book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This book looks great. It is on my Amazon wish list, I think because you recommended it a while ago.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would love to read this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds like a great book! Thanks for the chance to win it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would love to read this! Help me, Happy Catholic! You're my only hope!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The words "Book Giveaway" causes a Pavlovian response in me! Whatever the book, I have to enter. But in this case, it sounds like the book would be truly worth reading. In arguments, I try to remember the admonition that I consider the possibility, however remote, that I just may be wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It sounds like a really interesting book, and I'd love to win it.

    ReplyDelete