Thursday, December 29, 2005

Our Endangered Values : America's Moral Crisis

Our Endangered Values : America's Moral Crisis

Jimmy Carter

Date: 01 November, 2005 — $15.00 — Book

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Review of Our Endangered Values : America's Moral Crisis

I picked up this book the other day with the gift certificate I'd gotten for Christmas, as I'd been looking forward to reading Carter's take on the subject.

Like many Americans, former president Jimmy Carter is dismayed by the sharp right turn our government has taken in recent years, which has been largely fueled by the influence of the fundamentalist religious right.

Carter critically addresses the blurring of the lines between separation of church and state and covers such issues as preemptive war, women's rights, terrorism, civil liberties, homosexuality, the death penalty, abortion, science and religion, the environment, nuclear weapons, America's global image, religious and political fundamentalism. He contrasts extreme fundamentalist views with that of his own moderate Christian perspective and as one who fervently believes in the separation of church and state.

I found myself in general agreement with his take on these matters, but I could not give it five stars because of Carter's spartan writing style. I thought certain things could have been addressed in more detail and some chapters ended rather abruptly, in my opinion.

Still well worth a read, however.

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