The Right to Be Wrong

August 1, 2012
Hasson contends that we can't live happily without a culture that reflects and expresses the full scope of our humanity. While ballet and break dancing seem to peacefully coexist in the public square, the same can't be said of religious faith, agnosticism, and atheism. Hasson seeks to strike a balance between a government-imposed orthodoxy and a vapid public culture that seeks to exclude all vestiges of humanity's religious affections. The majority of chapters engagingly and humorously chronicle America's struggle with church-state relations and describe how we've thus far come up short. Hasson's provocative solution is to allow all faiths in the public square, thereby engendering an authentic and fully inclusive pluralism where the government's cultural activities reflect those of the people it serves. The philosophical, historical, and legal arguments he offers are both interesting and enticing. But the book doesn't spend nearly enough time exploring and articulating his solution's social, governmental, and legal implications. Whatever its shortcomings, Hasson's thesis is a tribute to personal conscience and religious liberty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)