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Public confessions : the religious conversions that changed American politics / Rebecca L. Davis

Author
Davis, Rebecca L. (Rebecca Louise), 1975-
Published
Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2021]
Physical Description
248 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

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Contents
Prologue: Faith in democracy -- A Catholic message for America -- Cold War disclosures -- The fear of false belief -- A kind of oneness with the Jewish people -- I know the truth -- Redemption -- Epilogue: Authentic politics, passing faiths.
Summary
"Why, asks Rebecca Davis, did conversions seem so prevalent between the mid-1940s and the late 1990s, and why did people care? Examining the highly-publicized and controversial conversions of individuals include Clare Boothe Luce (Protestantism to Catholicism), Whittaker Chambers ("godless Communist" to Christianity), Sammy Davis, Jr., (Christianity to Judaism), and Muhammad Ali (Christianity to Islam), Davis roots this dynamic in Cold War culture, society, and politics. She reveals how the twin and often contradictory pressures to conform to a specific vision of Americanism while simultaneously celebrating the freedom of religion as a particularly American asset made conversions both attractive and threatening to Americans. Thanks to Davis's compelling case studies, we learn that the act of breaking from the religion of one's upbringing could be seen as a selfish, reckless, and nonconformist act, but conversion also accomplished significant political work, whether fighting communism in the case of ex-spy Chambers or battling racism in the case of Ali"--
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ISBN
9781469664873 hardcover
1469664879 hardcover
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 36148781