In some religious countries; churches have drafted constitutions; restricted abortion; and controlled education. In others; church influence on public policy is far weaker. Why? Nations under God argues that where religious and national identities have historically fused; churches gain enormous moral authority―and covert institutional access. These powerful churches then shape policy in backrooms and secret meetings instead of through open democratic channels such as political parties or the ballot box.Through an in-depth historical analysis of six Christian democracies that share similar religious profiles yet differ in their policy outcomes―Ireland and Italy; Poland and Croatia; and the United States and Canada―Anna Grzymała-Busse examines how churches influenced education; abortion; divorce; stem cell research; and same-sex marriage. She argues that churches gain the greatest political advantage when they appear to be above politics. Because institutional access is covert; they retain their moral authority and their reputation as defenders of the national interest and the common good.Nations under God shows how powerful church officials in Ireland; Canada; and Poland have directly written legislation; vetoed policies; and vetted high-ranking officials. It demonstrates that religiosity itself is not enough for churches to influence politics―churches in Italy and Croatia; for example; are not as influential as we might think―and that churches allied to political parties; such as in the United States; have less influence than their notoriety suggests.
#300134 in Books Princeton University Press 2013-05-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.27 x 1.25 x 6.44l; 1.84 #File Name: 0691157960488 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Really accessible.By jocelyn314Excellent history of an important political and intellectual event for Western Civilization. I knew much already; but this book added great detail and explanation. One critic referred to the author as a Marxist Leftist and though it may be true; I didn't feel the skew or bias when I read it. So glad I found this particular text. Great insights plus footnotes so that I can research other primary sources and issues that I just learned. Good book if you're interested in America; Germany; Europe or the 20th C.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great Read!!By CustomerFantastic book on the entirety of the Weimar period! It was a textbook for my undergraduate colloquium course at a four-year research university in the US; and I enjoyed reading every chapter with its variety of topics. Reads well; not too complicated to understand; and entertaining.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy paul peacockgreat
