tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post6755735567194503978..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: Kevin Schultz's Tri-Faith America at Religion DispatchesPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-64397718979037910032011-12-15T16:05:59.018-07:002011-12-15T16:05:59.018-07:00We had to read this for my historian's craft c...We had to read this for my historian's craft class this semester. It covers an aspect of history that I was completely unaware of prior to taking this course. The idea that figures from three faiths went on a mission to try to unite people of those beliefs as a singular entity to combat the forces of the Axis powers. Seeing how preachers, priests, and rabbis of the time come together as one and identify themselves as all being Americans is an interesting concept, especially since they do have some clashing doctrines. Seeing how this idea helped to strengthen the civil rights movement can be debatable but I can see how that works. Outside of that, the book doesn't give much mention to any other groups such as Muslims, Buddhists or Hindus. But I don't think it really needs to touch on that. The book does well to discuss the importance of a tri-faith America.Smiley the Gnomenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-85784639897585548792011-12-15T03:17:41.483-07:002011-12-15T03:17:41.483-07:00Kevin Schultz had an interesting idea as to the cr...Kevin Schultz had an interesting idea as to the creation and influence of this "tri-faith" religious power house. His book chronologies Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. Each faith, very different, yet all had some similar things in common that brought them together, to do good for the American people. Schultz gave the background of the formation of this group and then went on to talk about what they did and how they accomplished the things they set out to do. Their goal was to influence as many people as possible to try and keep Christianity at the forefront of American life. Overall, very good book.Louann Sabatininoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-56666347771812514402011-12-13T21:45:06.250-07:002011-12-13T21:45:06.250-07:00Ah great book. Hey everyone Im a student here at S...Ah great book. Hey everyone Im a student here at SDSU. Prof. Blum was awesome in getting the class hooked up with a Skype interview with Prof. Schultz. The idea that Tri-faih clerics "softened the ground" for Civil Rights leaders still amazes me. The communalist nature of the faiths in Levittown is what really struck me, it just seemed unexpected. As I read the book, I imagined that greater access for Jews and Catholics would translate to more co-mingling and faith mixing.....but thats not what happened. Even in the fraternities, where discriminatory clauses for the majority had to change, but no so in the minority frats. I've heard this before, mainly used as a way to demonize minorities....yeah, I admit, it was on A.M. stations. The same place where they defend the Judeo-Christian nation "under attack" by immigrants. Paradoxical how the notion of Judeo-Christianity has changed from tolerance to intolerance. WOW. I've learned so much from this book.Mike Diaznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-38612676375972865732011-12-13T14:30:58.054-07:002011-12-13T14:30:58.054-07:00I had to read this book for a class and it was an ...I had to read this book for a class and it was an enjoyable read. Schultz did a good job of explaining the rise and early success of Tri-Faith due to their common stance against the rising threat of Communism. Schultz also did a great job discussing reasons for Tri-Faith's eventual downfall due to their different doctrines. One "issue" I had was that the book seemed to portray Catholics as a "stubborn" religion in that when their congregation grew, they suddenly weren't as keen on unification through political agenda as they were immediately following World War II; however I surely am overanalyzing that matter. In all, a good read for somebody interested in religion during the 1950s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-22217225970199202022011-09-01T18:24:29.218-06:002011-09-01T18:24:29.218-06:00Hi Kelly,
I'm not averse to blogging. It's...Hi Kelly,<br />I'm not averse to blogging. It's just that I've had a bit more time for the summer to follow this and other sites, and I've been mostly "following" what others have written rather than starting a new conversation on a freshly published book or recent topic. As the quarter starts, I won't have as much time. But let me consider this since I already follow your site avidly, as you can see.Curtis J. Evansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-63392127865763523462011-09-01T08:59:51.951-06:002011-09-01T08:59:51.951-06:00Just what I was thinking Kelly!Just what I was thinking Kelly!Paul Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-81232341508351359502011-09-01T08:51:18.207-06:002011-09-01T08:51:18.207-06:00So, Curtis, we are you going to start blogging for...So, Curtis, we are you going to start blogging for us? That way we can have your excellent analysis up front and center as well as in the comments section.Kelly J. Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14328894784072518452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-82244602515423721502011-09-01T07:52:12.416-06:002011-09-01T07:52:12.416-06:00Thanks for the notice, Paul. I read Ed's excel...Thanks for the notice, Paul. I read Ed's excellent review of Schultz's important book and found it very helpful. When I was trying to read the book here at UofC's Regenstein (in between pesky migraines), I was struck by the legacy of the legal battles and the public school debates (something that Schultz treats in a separate essay as well). And his point about, as Ed puts it, the way in which the tri-faith concept "softened the ground for civil rights activism." What I see as a major contribution of the work is the way in which Schultz's narrative not only has a specific bearing on the Judeo-Christian nation concept as ideal and imagined past, but also the way in which it points to religious differences on the ground and public school issues among religious persons, which played a part in disestablishing religion (at least, that's the way I read the book). I suppose too it's ironic then that the Christian right began employing this language of Judeo-Christian values, asserting that these were being undermined by a rampant "secularism," which became the preferred rubric in the 1980s (much like "modernism" in the 1920s). Ironic in that Schultz's work points out how this very attempt at a public coalition of faiths (this tri-faith concept) spawned some of the very debates and battles about the meaning of a persistent understanding of America as a "Christian nation." Schultz's book makes the point much more eloquently than I can, if I even have this partially right.Curtis J. Evansnoreply@blogger.com