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Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution & Religion | 
| Author: David Barton
Publisher: WallBuilder Press
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $5.41
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Avg. Customer Rating:  92 reviews
Sales Rank: 58939
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 535
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 1932225269
Dewey Decimal Number: 342.73
EAN: 9781932225266
ASIN: 1932225269
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
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Book Description
Discover how the United States Supreme Court has reinterpreted the Constitution, diluting the Biblical foundations upon which it was based. Filled with hundreds of the Founders' quotes revealing their beliefs on the role of religion in public affairs, the proper role of the courts, the intended limited scope of federal powers, and numberous other current issues.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 87 more reviews...
 The Intent of the Founding Fathers Made Clear. September 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Original Intent-The Courts, the Constitution,& Religion" is a thoroughly documented book.
David Barton accurately attacks the concept of separation of church and state. That metaphorical phrase is found nowhere in the Constitution!
It's clear from their writings that the Founders viewed a belief in the Creator as an inherent part of taking an oath. Also consider the close historical ties between Christianity and education.
The author examined numerous state Constitutions and any reader will notice the repeated appearance of three particular words in these documents-"Religion","Morality",and "Knowledge".
A closer look at the origin and original purpose of the Thanksgiving holiday reveals that giving thanks was only part of the motivation for the holiday.
On the ruling in McCollum v. Board of Education Mr. Barton articulated how an individual who is unable to advance a goal through legitimate political and legislative processes could convince a willing court to violate the rights of the majority to accommodate the wishes of that particular individual.
His Chapter on the identities of political authorities used most frequently by the Founding Fathers was interesting.
Some disturbing quotes highlight the direction the Supreme Court has consciously taken in the past.
From Justice Benjamin Cardozo- "I take the judge-made law as one of the existing realities of life." (What about the legislature?)
And this from Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes-"We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution says what the judges say it is."(Judicial interpretation as in the mythical "living Constitution"?)
Thomas Jefferson warned of America becoming an oligarchy when change is not directed by the people. In this case judicial interpretation is the cause. Many of the Founders cautioned against the judicial branch usurping unconstitutional powers as we see now.
The rejection of "judicial review" at the Constitutional Convention was covered.
There are two issues that I would disagree with in "Original Intent".
The first is that the Sabbath is Sunday. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that the Sabbath was changed. The Founders obviously saw it differently than I do.
The second is the dismissal of claims that Thomas Jefferson had an affair with Sally Hemmings. It's widely known that they had at least one child together.
David Barton has obviously spent a lot of time on this book. He includes the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Biographical sketches, voluminous Endnotes, a Bibliography, and Index as Appendixes.
While the author documents the Founders beliefs with quotes and loads of documentation, the negative reviews that I have read don't cite any evidence or documentation.
I suggest that you read for yourself, especially the Chapter "Revisionism:A Willing Accomplice" and decide for yourself who is revising history.
I will be keeping "Original Intent-The Courts, the Constitution,& Religion" as an excellent resource!
Very well documented August 26, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
The evidence that David Bartion used was based on quotes from the Founding Fathers themselves. Current books often state their own opinions as fact, but David Barton does the research and shows what the Founding Fathers themselves said.
Patriot. August 6, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
Very good to know there are people willing to give a full history of our country not a revisionist view by omission or changing of facts. Thanks Mr. Barton.
I have read and research everything Barton has written. He is incredibly accurate. June 25, 2008
28 out of 31 found this review helpful
The first clue that Mr. Barton is telling the truth is the torrent of scathing reviews from the Secularists. I have personally reviewed the facts presented in Barton's books, and have found them to be not just factually accurate, but intellectually honest.
The first thing to remember about secular historicism, is that the facts don't matter, just the political agenda.
We Americans write our own history. And the chapters of which we're proudest are the ones where we had the courage to change. - Al Gore, Speech at the Democratic National Convention (28 August 1996)
Original Intent by David Barton, A must read June 11, 2008
34 out of 37 found this review helpful
Original Intent By David Barton
This book has meticulous foot notes and references to it's sources. Barton uses the words of the founding fathers themselves to make his points. He uses actual court cases, and even puts the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in the back of the book for your reference. The author presents the material in a clear and precise manner, and the reader can easily look up, reference, and test his conclusions themselves (his footnotes and index make it that easy) ..... Better yet, Barton actually invites the reader to read the federalist and anti-federalist (the words of the founding fathers themselves) papers after reading this book . If Barton's conclusions are false as some have concluded he's definitely a horrible revisionist since he gives the reader all the ammunition in the world to check his sources and refute him.
This book has done more for my understanding our founding fathers than the many secular based history texts I've pawned through. The author is thorough, complete, and as I said earlier he gives the reader all the power by giving him/her the power to reference the original documents. The truth is many of our founding fathers were Christians, did read the bible, and most wouldn't approve of the course of action taken against religious expression in our country today. This is a worthy read for the Christian and secular skeptic alike. Truly, this is a must read!!!!
Postscript: There have been many attacks on this book and those who give favorable reviews to it (as of this date the reviews are 44 five star reviews and 30 some one star reviews). Instead of believing what any man says I urge the reader to do what I'm doing.... Look up the material yourself... Read the book, check it's sources, and make your own conclusion... Don't let the many individuals who leave nasty comments under these reviews steal from you your right to make your own conclusion....
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