Customer Reviews

Original Intent: Courts, the Constitution, & Religion

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David Barton has put together a brilliant compilation of information, and legal decisions that completely shames all those that would lie about our nations true beginnings and heritage.Our country is being systematically dissolved through a court system only interested in furthering a tainted atheistic minority view of our nations forefathers and their original intent, when they drafted our greatest U.S. documents. They were human and imperfect, yet few today, could hope to draft such an eloquent document as the United States Constitution, without divine direction, obviously present in most of these mens lives so long ago. It is books like Mr. Barton's, that gives a normal God loving man hope in such a dark spiritual time for our country.

This is the single best book on the judiciary and the Constitution I have ever read, and I recommend it without reservation to anyone interested in judicial activism. For those who believe that the courts have way over-stepped their Constitutional limits, this book will provide sources and ammunition to make anyone who thinks different look like an idiot. For those who believe in a "living Constitution" (PC code-word meaning a judge can do anything he wants), you had better read this to understand the strength of the opposition's view point.

Barton explores extensively the role of Christianity in founding this country and devastates the current revisionists who claim the founders were randy, atheistic and selfish. He uses so many quotes and original sources that I sometimes found myself thinking, "Enough already - You've proved the point." He explodes the current myths demonizing Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and the like with research rather than misleading rhetoric.

"Original Intent" is especially strong when discussing the title concept. There is no question that the current judicial legislation is directly opposite to what the Constitution intended.

In spite of studying the founding of this country for years, the author finds and quotes so many new sources that I am amazed that I've missed all of these for all these years. Which, of course, fits Barton's broad assertions of a society where truth is ridiculed and censored away from the people so that it is difficult to find the truth even if you try.

Read this if it's the only book on the subject you read.

I do not recall the last time I enjoyed a book as much as this one. Mr. Barton's painstaking research is evident throughout this magnificent work. I am one of those book destroyers who make personal notations in the margins and my copy is loaded with reference notes. This book will have a permanent home on the shelf by my desk, as I am sure to reference it often.

Barton builds an impregnable case that the current liberal assertion of church and state separation, which has evolved into an all out attack, particularly on Christianity, is far from the original intent of the founders. Barton delves into how the anti-God crowd has distorted Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, where he mentions creating a "wall of separation", and how the left has continually assaulted the premise that America was created a "Christian" nation. Barton backs up his factual evidence with page after page of undisputable writings from our founders.

Barton examines numerous cases of judicial decisions in early American history, which have been omitted from modern judicial opinions. The reader follows the journey of how the anti-God crowd has meticulously destroyed the values of which our nation was founded. The reader is then presented with an insight to the religious beliefs of the founders. Barton then shows how selective history and revisionism history has been used to rewrite and ignore original intent.

Barton concludes with a chapter on how to return to original intent that is a must read for every American. All this in only the first two-thirds of the book! The reader is then given nearly two hundred additional pages of appendix which includes short biographical sketches of many of the founders and other American leaders referenced in the book. This is followed by an indepth bibliography that will add many new titles to the readers 'must have' list.

I cannot praise this magnificent book enough. It has already earned a place as one of my most cherished reference books. Couple this book with Michael Novak's, On Two Wings, and you will have all the necessary ammunition to challenge any argument on religion from the radical left. Buy a copy for yourself and learn the undisputable truth about original intent. This book would also make a tremendous gift to anyone interested in religion and the courts.

I must say, this book is a BREATH OF FRESH AIR. It is so obvious that our country was founded and our constitution created by people of faith.

I am so tired of uninformed people quoting scholars who have nothing but contempt for our founding fathers, and rather than just saying they think they know better than our founding fathers, they misquote and misrepresent them to further their anti-religious agenda.

Mr. Barton does a fine job of destroying any idea that our founding fathers wanted our government to prohibit the encouragement of religion in the public arena.

After reading this book, unless you are predisposed to think otherwise, you will be convinced that our founding fathers believed religion and Christian principles to to be indispensible to public and private morality, which is necessary for a free republic to survive, and they publicly said so over and over again.

For all fair minded folks who do not want to be perceived as religious nuts intolerant of others, please resist the temptation to have a negative reaction to the idea that Christian principles are so foundational to America. Our non-Christian founding fathers such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson believed this themselves, and they promoted and defended this principle on many occasions.

We have simply allowed our courts to erect a wall of separation between morality and government, and we can see the results of our stupidity.

After reading this book (which should be self-imposed required reading for every American) I can't help but feel saddened at how unbelievably far we as a country have abandoned the very principles which we base our entire system upon. I knew it was bad, but even though I had researched to a decent degree on my own, I had no idea it went this deep.

I won't go into detail about specifics within the book, but in a nutshell the book recounts an overwhelming amount of evidence (historical, judicial, etc.) in the form of written documents (both private and public), historical facts, judiciary precedent, and absolutely unarguable information from pre-revolutionary periods to present that prove for any reasonable and rational individual that religion, and in particular Christianity, remains inextricably linked to our country in both the private AND public arenas. Further, these links expose not only what our Founders intended and meant by what they said (most often in their own words) but most importantly they expose how badly we consistently twist, misapply, and frankly rape, in many cases, the very fabric of what makes us America.

Although I usually try not to comment on other reviews, I couldn't help but notice that every negative review I saw simply didn't characterize the book accurately. For instance, "If you want to slant reality, all you have to do is take quotes and add your biased opinion. Read this book if you are a conservative, right wing, gullable, religious person who wants to be re-enforced that you are right again, without looking any further to original texts...". Number one, just by the tone and dismissive attitude one should know this person either didn't read the book or is so absolutely determined to ignore the truth, it really wouldn't matter what the book said. "One-sided" indeed. Number two, I guess countless historical facts (both pre- and post-revolution), FULL speeches, private letters, judicial decisions complete with large portions of the transcripts of each case, ridiculous numbers of proclamations of Congress itself, and the general actions of our government for the first 150 years of operation only means the author used quotes and biased opinion and doesn't constitute in the minds of some "looking any further" into the thoughts and intentions of our Founders. Being "conservative" or "religious" has nothing at all to do with acknowledging the truth in this book but has everything to do with being an objective rational person and accepting the obvious when presented with it. Its one thing to disagree with the way our Founders intended our country to be with respect to religion and government but its something completely different (its called intellectually dishonest) to claim they didn't think the way they obviously did. And as far as other reviews claiming Barton fails to support his claims, how much more plain does he have to make it. Barton attempts (and overwhelmingly succeeds) in explaining and discussing the fact that the role that our Founders intended religion (Christianity) to play in our goverment simply does not align with contemorary judicial (and to a large extent, public) opinion. Again, you can argue about whether that is for better or worse, but you simply can't argue that our Founders intended our goverment to become (with respect to religion and its role in public life) as it currently is.

On a more positive note, the book itself can function in many cases as a reference (I use it constantly) but is at the same time engrossing, interesting, and an overall joy to read. It deserves every star I could give it.

Should be in every judge's, lawyer's, and cop's personal library so especially they know what is that solid foundation for all English and American Law, which is Christianity; that even Sir William Blackstone clearly enunciates. But it's also easily readable enough for the grade-schooler. Regretably, also very scarey as it, on an analysis of where we started as a nation and with our courts, how miserably they've decayed and come to typify self-aggrandizing arrogance, corruption, and condescension towards their new subjects. Indirectly & contrastively, solidly, powerfully, lucidly, & overwhelmingly documents the guild and abject contempt the courts & judges have for the Law their suppose to be upholding. One of those books that if enough people read it and held our gov't and especially our judiciary to their/our original standard, as a nation we just might be introduced to a level of freedom not experienced in over 100 yrs. Cited, sourced, researched, documented; irrefutable. Amen

In a cogent and reasoned presentation, David Barton demystifies the confusion about the effect of the American Judiciary on the original intent of the US Constitution. It is a chilling and sobering look at malfeasance and inappropriate over-reaching interpretation of a straightforward document with the purpose of advancing political, social, and economic agendas foreign to the issues actually addressed.

David Barton uses the writings of the nation's founding fathers, the authors of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution itself, and key fundamental documents to remind us that it was never the intent of the founding fathers that there be complete and total alienation of church and state. In fact, as Barton points out, it was the judiciary that manufactured the idea that the phrase "separation of church and state" even appears in the Constitution at all. Barton points out through convincing evidence that it was simply the intention of the Constitution to prevent formation of a religion such as the Anglican Church from being created as an organ of state or federal government, not to purge all reference of God from governmental operations.

Morality must be part and parcel of government. An amoral government is a government without a heart or compassion. It is one step away from an immoral government, wherein the people are no longer in control and government becomes the means to its own ends.

Representative government needs to remember its roots. Every American should read this book to clearly understand just how far a good governmental system can be abused by seemingly well-meaning people who place their ideals above the overall well-being of their countrymen.

This book is offensive and searching. You can not read the cases documented in the first chapter without wondering what insanity has invaded the courts. But Barton goes on the trace the evolution of court doctrine from the very writings of the founding fathers to a rogue court that reversed 150 years of consistent interpretation to lay the foundation of todays attacks on christian symbols and expression.

Anyone who believes "Separation of church and state" is actually in the constitution needs to read this thought provoking book. Take a journey back to the authors of the constitution and specifically the first amenmendment. Learn what the wording was intended to mean based on the authors discussions at that time. Then, compare that with current court opinion.

The book is easy to read, very entertaining, and cases are well researched and documented.

To the truth-seeking honest student of American history, it's Founding philosophies and it's original constitutional principles "Original Intent" is an indispensable tool.

One can read books like "We Hold These Truths" by Mortimer J. Adler, "Our Sacred Honor" by William Bennett and "American Scriptures" by Pauline Maier, and get a feel for the true "Spirit and Intent" of our founders and what they really envisioned.

But unless one gives an actual intense reading of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, the Northwest Ordinance and other preliminary works, they will not get the full picture of America.

One should add to that, books like "The Federalist Papers" by Hamilton, Madison and Jay, "America's God and Country" by William Federer and of coarse this book, "Original Intent" by David Barton and one comes away with the inspired reality of just how ingenious, rational and tremendously educated and intelligent the men and women of that era were.

To be truly fair and balanced a reading of the Anti-Federalist Papers should also be read to get an understanding of why so many are displeased with the coarse of the last 70 years. It is very intesting to see just how well our founders could prodict the failures we face today.

The intellect and insight from both sides makes the current revisionist and manipulators of the constitution and history look like children with learning disorders. The rhetoric of these false historians is rejected by those who research for themselves the rich history of our nation. The rewriters do not even come close to identifying what the Constitution really imparts, means or implies.

Today calling someone a constitutional scholar too often means someone who interprets the Constitution to fit the Special interest groups of his or her particular party affiliation, and of coarse their leader in Congress or the White House.

This single book when read after the others listed above, explains why so much has gone wrong with our three branches of government and our political system. It also enlightens one as to why the Judiciary has become too tyrannical, despotic and elitist over the last 70 plus years. It is becoming a representation of "The King" we threw out during the war of independence.

But the most significant point made. Which should have been capitalized and placed upon a page all by itself is the simple quote of Thomas Jefferson, perhaps one of our greatest President next to George Washington and John Adams is this.

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves. And if we think them [the people] not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it [power] from them, but to inform their discretion by education."

This then is the telling point of American failure in politics and social policy. When we let a left leaning Department of Education and the special interest allies that control them dictate through unelected judges to decide the coarse of the relationship between religion, morality, freedom and Democracy in the American education system, we move unto shakey ground. This concept, which is in direct violation of the intent of our founding documents and philosophies creates a war between virtue and diviance. We are losing.

The extreme left is winning and our founding fathers dream is coming to a screeching halt. America has as a result, had nothing but heartache and chaos ever since we, like the characters in the movie "The Fellowship of the Rings," forgot those historical ideals which should not have been forgotten.

This is a book that will no doubt draw fire from the left and so-called progressives. But it is an essential read to anyone seeking the truth, not revisionist rewrites of history. It is essential to understanding how the courts have wrested the power of government from it's rightful place, with the people through teh voting booth and the Executive and Legislative branches of government. It is a call to arms for Strict Constitutionals, conservatives and true patriots everywhere. A must read.

Congratulations to David Barton.

David Barton has done an excellent job on informing us of what were the original intentions of our Founding Fathers. Many Americans today will not admit that our country was founded upon Christian principles as outlined in the Bible. I believe this is because most text books do not address this topic and the current misconception of seperation of Church and State forbides students from studying this part of history. Barton's book is richly documented with original quotes from a variety of men who helped write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Additionally, he quotes a number of court cases which clearly show how modern day Supreme Court decisions have changed the intent of our Founding Fathers. Regardless of a person's religious beliefs, the historical foundations of our most important documents need to be discussed, not covered up. Every American should read this book and there is not doubt they'll be better informed as to where we started and where we've gone in the last two hundred years.