Routledge God's Country: A Case Against Theocracy (Haworth Women's Studies)

Explore the influence of religion on the privacy rights of U. S. citizens in this controversial new book!Here is a compelling and controversial new book that explores the enormous political influence that some religious groups currently wield. God’s Country focuses particularly on the issue of personal privacy rights and the strategies and rhetoric these religious groups are using to diminish those rights among select segments of society. Author Sandy Rapp, a grassroots activist, shares her experiences in one-on-one debates with religious fundamentalists who have been on opposite sides of the social issues for which she has so passionately fought in recent years. Topics in this fascinating book include: privacy rights individual’s rights as stated in the constitution AIDS and homophobia the abortion choice global population crisis gay and lesbian reporductive rights effective strategies for lobbyingSandy Rapp traces the patriarchal premises which underlie the twentieth-century crusade against homosexuality. She integrates various personal and professional perspectives and provides a challenging and comprehensive examination of the physical and psychological devastation inflicted upon women, lesbians, and gay men due to religious and political control over such personal decisions as the expression of one’s sexuality, the use of birth control, the choice of abortion, and privacy rights. God’s Country poses some provocative questions that are certain to spark debate among enlightened religious professionals, professors, and students of political science, government, women’s history, human sexuality, and religion: Does the government have the right to impose mandatory childbirth upon women? Should a gay or lesbian person’s sexual orientation weaken his/her civil rights? Can, in a free society, the religious beliefs of one denomination or group be imposed on all citizens? If freedom for all is to upheld in the United States, shouldn’t the separation of church and state be maintained?