America's True History of Religious Tolerance

In the October 2010 issue of Smithsonian Magazine author/historian Kenneth C. Davis goes into great detail illuminating America's True History of Religious Tolerance. The lead in to the Smithsonian article makes a bold (and perhaps unpopular) statement... "The idea that the United States has always been a bastion of religious freedom is reassuring—and utterly at odds with the historical record". Mr. Davis begins by questioning a long standing notion...

"Wading into the controversy surrounding an Islamic center planned for a site near New York City’s Ground Zero memorial this past August, President Obama declared: “This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are.” In doing so, he paid homage to a vision that politicians and preachers have extolled for more than two centuries—that America historically has been a place of religious tolerance. It was a sentiment George Washington voiced shortly after taking the oath of office just a few blocks from Ground Zero.

But is it so?"

Kenneth Davis' article in the October 2010 Smithsonian Magazine states, in a much better way, what I posted here on Friday September 10, 2010 in my blog post Religious Intolerance.

Read the complete Smithsonian article: America's True History of Religious Tolerance

Peace, Love, and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)