America is a religiously pluralistic society. We have always been this way, but the trend toward religious diversity has never been stronger than it is right now and the move toward religious tolerance has never been more necessary than it is today. As minority religions continue to grow in number and influence, their presence in the public sphere is becoming more visible and the situations and possible controversy that such realities create is the basis of this book, Our Non- Christian Nation. Church state separation is an American founding principle, but as this book correctly points out, the wall of separation is not as strong, as tall, or as impenetrable as many believe. The courts have already ruled that religious groups can receive public funding if certain requirements are met. They can also take part actively in certain areas of public life so long as other religious organizations are given a fair chance to do the same. This has led many less prominent organizations and individuals, among them wiccans, atheists, humanists, and even satanists to demand equal treatment. As you might imagine, this doesn’t always go over well with the Christian majority. This book spends its time examining these unique situations and how communities have reacted to such occurrences; sometimes in hostile ways but other times in tolerant and accepting ways. This book offers several anecdotes and examines the different ways that the majority has dealt with the minority when asked to accommodate views that are unpopular with most of the members of a specific community. It could be giving an invocation, erecting a monument, or any number of other requests. Some of the examples presented in this book are surprising, but not completely shocking. As you might imagine, allowing satanists a chance to deliver an invocation or sponsor after- school gatherings hasn’t gone over too well in some communities. The results are often eye- opening as many members of the public display their extreme ignorance and intolerance when faced with ideas from organizations with whom they disagree. As this book discusses, there are three basic ways that a community can deal with situations involving public funding/access with minority faith or other like groups. One is to not allow any religious group any public access at all. That means no use of public funds for any religions, no opening prayers at government meetings, etc. The second option is to allow the religious majority to control everything and have only its ideas represented in the public sphere. The third option is to allow every group an equal seat at the public table. This last option is the one most likely used in communities across the United States today. Most religious organizations, if they are in the majority, would prefer to control everything but the courts have ruled that they must share the public domain with minority viewpoints. So, the compromise is to allow every group equal access to public funds and public space. This is what has happened in most communities, but there have been other communities that have shunned any public intermingling of church and state because they don’t want minority groups to be heard at all. Again, it seems to be the satanists that ruffle the most feathers, which isn’t too surprising. And in the minds of many religious folks, they would rather have no religious access whatsoever than to allow what they feel are radical religious viewpoints to be voiced in a public setting. Allowing minority religions and non- religious folks to give invocations, erect monuments, etc is the fair thing to do and it promotes better understanding, which in turn can lead to greater tolerance of minority religions. This book takes the stand that sharing is best. After all, the majority religion can’t be the only one that receives special treatment. It must be everyone or no one and I like that this book supports the position of tolerance. In an increasingly pluralistic society, minority religions are gaining in number and this trend is unlikely to end. These groups are increasingly demanding to be seen and heard and Our Non- Christian Nation is a good means to familiarize ones’ self with this phenomenon and think more about its implications. Minority religions are not going to go away, and the way society chooses to deal with different ideas will continue to shape public life and understanding well into the future.