Religion
Border Crossings
The Cauldron
Destroyer and Builder
IN THE SUMMER of 1674, officials of the Dutch court carried out the recommendation of the States of Holland to ban the Theological-Political Treatise, a book that one of its more spiteful antagonists described in an anonymous pamphlet as “forged in hell by the apostate Jew working together with the devil.” It was an inauspicious debut for a work that Steven Nadler calls “one of the most important books of Western thought ever written.” READ MORE >>
The Accommodator
ROSS DOUTHAT’S ANALYSIS of religion in America is more sophisticated than the analysis of, say, Rick Santorum—but not by much. There are many ways to be simplistic and coarse. In contending against what he sees as an America afflicted with too many heresies, Douthat’s book, like Santorum’s speeches, is riddled with mistakes of fact and interpretation that would make any learned person blush. READ MORE >>
The First Pilgrims
Sin and Repentance
OVER THE YEARS, American Jews have feted George Washington, lionized Abraham Lincoln, and adored Franklin Roosevelt. But time and time again, they have given a cold shoulder to Ulysses S. Grant—or worse still, likened him to the evil Haman of Queen Esther’s day. Some American Jews, throwing off all restraint, have even called Grant a Second Pharaoh. READ MORE >>
What Is Islamic Enlightenment?
MUCH OF THE Islamic world is experiencing revolution. From Morocco to Oman, recent protests and new elections have brought hope for a less despotic and more open future. Assuming that one tyrant is not perpetually replaced by another, nations across the Islamic world may begin to resemble the genuinely open societies that so many of their citizens seem to desire. READ MORE >>
