Summary - Catholic Power vs. American Freedom

Agnosticism / Atheism

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Agnosticism / Atheism

Product Summary

Catholic Power vs. American Freedom

American Catholicism

Guide Rating -

Pros	• Interesting exploration of conflicts between Catholicism and democracy • Provides access to material not otherwise available to most readers

Cons	• Some Catholic readers may take offense at some of the arguments about their Church

The Bottom Line - This book is not an attack on theism, on religion, on Christianity, or even on Catholicism per se (and certainly not on individual Catholics). Rather, it is a historical and cultural commentary on the ways in which certain aspects of the power structure and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church have difficulty being compatible with the power structure and ideals of American republican democracy.

Product Description

•	Explores the history of Roman Catholic authoritarian principles
•	Contrasts Catholic authoritarianism with American democracy
•	Argues that American and Catholic ideas conflict on many levels

Guide Review

American Catholicism The role of Catholicism in American society has long been a matter of some debate. Catholicism developed in a Europe controlled by monarchial, aristocratic, and even dictatorial political systems, and the Roman Catholic Church adopted many of the principles underlying those systems. America, on the other hand, was conceived as a new political experiment where republican and democratic principles would hold sway. How readily can the two vasty different conceptions of power and organization interact?
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