How Free Can Religion Be?

How Free Can Religion Be? Bezanson’s book provides an insightful and accessible analysis of complex social and constitutional issues. Throughout the book, Bezanson demonstrates a deep appreciation for the difficult task that the Supreme Court faces in trying to strike an appropriate balance between religion and law. The core of legality is experience but not logic. The Supreme Court gives life to the law. Religion guarantees non-establishment and freedom from exercise and it represents the Supreme Court’s not the Constitution’s idea of religious freedom. The Supreme Court basis its decisions on the logic and reason of the history, text and purposes of the Constitution. To not do this is to fail to exercise its power properly and within necessary limits. The Supreme Court is largely loyal to logic and reason. However, despite this, it is also deeply divided. Congress cannot make laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. Logic and reason usually mark the Court’s decisions, though they have competed at a fundamental level since the beginning of time.