Attack of the Theocrats!: How the Religious Right Harms Us All — and What We Can Do About It

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Attack of the Theocrats!: How the Religious Right Harms Us All — and What We Can Do About It

by Sean Faircloth, Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 277 ratings · 43 reviews

At no time in American history has the United States had such a high percentage of theocratic members of Congress—those who expressly endorse religious bias in law. Just as ominously, at no other time have religious fundamentalists effectively had veto power over one of the country’s two major political parties. As Sean Faircloth argues, this has led to the crumbling of th...more

Paperback, 165 pages

Published October 15th 2012 by Pitchstone Publishing (first published February 15th 2012)

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Jan 01, 2012 Jorge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: atheism-religion, politics-economics

Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It by Sean Faircloth

"Attack of the Theocrats" is the brief yet effective book on how the religious right has used their political clout to cause harm to the rest of us. Sean Faircloth's interesting secular manifesto is a product of an interesting background that includes: his formal education as a lawyer, his years as a politician serving five terms in the Maine Legislature, his leadership and vision led to...more

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May 22, 2013 Ayame Sohma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Concerned by faith-based initiatives, tax and regulatory exemptions for Christian "charities" (but which are conspicuously absent for the other religions out there, including Hinduism, which predates Judaism), Faircloth summons his biting sarcasm and thorough research skills for a well-reasoned clarion call to action. Although most of the theocrats he takes to task are Republicans, he does criticise Barack Obama for failing to remain faithful (no pun intended) to a pre-election promise.

Chock ful...more

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Jan 02, 2013 David rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, politics

This book is an example of how to deal with an important issue in an inept way. Faircloth is a former politician and his book reads like a political pep rally speech. That is not a compliment from my personal viewpoint.

The book covers the issue of the unfairness codified into our country’s laws regarding faith based organizations and churches. I was unaware of how many regulations the churches don’t have to follow, which all the other secular charities do. Many of these have to deal with the...more This book is an example of how to deal with an important issue in an inept way. Faircloth is a former politician and his book reads like a political pep rally speech. That is not a compliment from my personal viewpoint.

The book covers the issue of the unfairness codified into our country’s laws regarding faith based organizations and churches. I was unaware of how many regulations the churches don’t have to follow, which all the other secular charities do. Many of these have to deal with the safety of children. As such the differing regulations are very disturbing.

However, Faircloth makes his point by trying to stereotype those on the opposing side of the political spectrum, namely right-wing Christians. His book is filled with anecdotes of various famous predatory televangelists and less well known child abusers. He bashes on fundamentalists and evangelicals with these anecdotes. He also spends a lot of time defending his use of anecdotes, saying that they work better than statistics and facts. I would rather he took the high road however and talked up to his readers rather than down. Had he actually taken the high road throughout the book it would not have been necessary to launch into a “but my step-mother is a fundamentalist, whom I admire. See, I'm not stereotyping!” story toward the end.

The fact is that most fundamentalist and evangelical Christians would condemn, and have condemned, the very same predators he does. Many of those reprehensible televangelists have been hypocrisy-sermon illustration fodder in fundamentalist churches for as long as they’ve been known about. The end result is that Faircloth misses a very large possible constituency when he holds up the anecdotes in his book. I believe many evangelicals and fundamentalists would also be disturbed at the loopholes in the law and would vociferously fight against them if they knew about them. And unlike Faircloth they have a great chance of being listened to by the very lawmakers passing those loopholes. Even if such were not the case, however, there would still be no excuse for Faircloth’s stereotyping.

In the book he does spend some time trying to argue that atheists should accept their agnostic allies and stop picking on them. But that’s really as far he goes in the bid for inclusiveness. As an agnostic I appreciate that at least. But it does not overcome the repulsion I felt at his broad brushing of Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals.

In the end, I think Faircloth means well, but he is probably currently trapped within an atheist echo chamber. He simply doesn’t see his own bigotry. At one point he laments the bad name “atheist” seems to have within society. Thus, when it happens to his camp, he is against stereotyping others. It’s just that he’s blind to the fact that he’s doing the exact same thing to the other side. (less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion

While admittedly a liberal and not religious, the author seeks to gain support for a separation of church and state from all groups that are interested in this task. This would include libertarians and moderates with links to religion. His arguments are more important than removing the 1954 addition of one nation under god to our pledge.

The arguments he makes are the injustice of giving religious organizations special privileges similar secular organizations have to follow. His examples include...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Thomas J. Lawson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will always have faith in humanity, regardless of the examples that Mr. Faircloth uses in this book. I will always know that the good people of this world outnumber the few that would leave a little girl alone to die in a van or beat a child with a piece of plumbing equipment. But I also know that small numbers of people can do powerful things. Less than 45% of Americans attend church on a weekly basis, yet Washington seems to be under the thumb of these people. Why? Fear, for one. Fear works...more I will always have faith in humanity, regardless of the examples that Mr. Faircloth uses in this book. I will always know that the good people of this world outnumber the few that would leave a little girl alone to die in a van or beat a child with a piece of plumbing equipment. But I also know that small numbers of people can do powerful things. Less than 45% of Americans attend church on a weekly basis, yet Washington seems to be under the thumb of these people. Why? Fear, for one. Fear works in Washington and it works in the pews. Second is organization. Secular Americans do not get together once a week and touch base. I don't know how it can be done, but Secular Americans must check in often enough with what is going on so that we can keep that minority of zealots at bay. We must remain vigilant and cease our blind optimism that things will get better on their own. They will not.

The types of people that want to continue to subjugate women and beat their own children with plumber's tubing will not rest until they get what they want. They are beyond reason. These are the types of people that put Jesus before their own mothers and fathers, before their own children even. They hide behind Pro-Life signs while calling for the death penalty. They hide behind proclamations for family values while beating their children and trying to tear apart families of same-sex couples. They hide behind droves of ignorant and confused people that don't take the time to read a newspaper or a magazine, but instead binge on sensational, soap-selling propaganda-filled news channels.

I loved this book. This book is important. Every American that considers themself to be a patriot should read it. We must return to our Enlightenment roots. If the Enlightenment fostered the birth of our nation, then the last few decades of theocratic encroachment have been a scary week in the NICU. Staying faithful to the ideals of our secular founding is the only thing that will keep the United States from future degradation. Invest in the United States by purchasing this book.(less)

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Feb 28, 2012 Dale R. Wilsey Jr. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, secularism-freethought, 3-star

This is, at its very core, a call to action for secular Americans. Faircloth presents his idea for a secular America and his passion for reinstating the Jefferson & Madison wall between church and state to its original glory, lays out his argument, and calls for every agnostic, atheist, and on-the-fence American to act.

There are no piles of facts or extensive citations of studies. The book is under 200 pages long and Faircloth presents his arguments succinctly. If you are aiming to persuade...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Gayle Gordon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, kindle

Read on Kindle.
Overall I liked this book. I love the ideas for action and the description of the Fundamentalist Fifty. Books like this spur me towards speaking up for myself and other secular people because I think this country is turning into a theocracy and we can't let it do that.
I do have to disagree with letting King and Kennedy completely off the hook for being unfaithful. I've always said that if people want to play the field and have a lot of partners because they can't manage to be mono...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Emily Dietle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suggestions

This past October, while attending the TX Freethought Convention, I had the opportunity to hear Sean Faircloth speak. Directly following his presentation, I ventured to the bookstore and purchased his first book, Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All — and What We Can Do About It (which is officially released today).

Earlier in the day I had perused the bookstore and had bypassed the gaudy bookcover a few times. The maxim rings true, as the contents of this book are superb...more This past October, while attending the TX Freethought Convention, I had the opportunity to hear Sean Faircloth speak. Directly following his presentation, I ventured to the bookstore and purchased his first book, Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All — and What We Can Do About It (which is officially released today).

Earlier in the day I had perused the bookstore and had bypassed the gaudy bookcover a few times. The maxim rings true, as the contents of this book are superb. Attack of the Theocrats! addresses current issues, and I recommend it for atheists & moderately religious people.

The book opens with a forward from Richard Dawkins that gives a concise preview of what is to come. Don’t skip the preface; it contains a valuable image of Faircloth that helps the reader understand his passion for justice. Using his wealth of knowledge through a background of politics and law, Faircloth starts off strong with an extensive critical review of religious bias in American politics and the social arena. As he exposes a multitude of issues, they begin to fester inside of you. I would like to have seen more of the book dedicated to “What You Can Do,” than the brief section on p. 132, but this book is at least educating and creating a dialogue — especially around child related issues.

The focus later shifts to an intimate look at the Christian fundamentalists and Dominionists that are bent on reshaping the United States into a theocracy. Anyone strongly opposed to gay equality and those who consider zygotes sacred will have a challenging time, at first, agreeing with Faircloth due to his unapologetic stance on the issues. Through ample examples, he conclusively explains how religious influence on a variety of issues harms everyone, including religious conservatives, and rigorously attempts to jostle us all into action.

Faircloth aims at the outset to reach across the divide and enlighten both secular and religious readers, but the overall message will only fully pass the filters of a person with secular ideals. If you’re skeptical of the harm religious bias plays in each of our lives, read this book. It is unfortunate that an entire chapter of this small book was devoted to promoting the Secular Coalition for America, as though required by the publisher, but the message does act like a buttress for the chapter that follows.

Overall, Faircloth was able to promote a sense of urgency in a fast-paced read, while being inspirational and encouraging. Attack of the Theocrats! closes with a stimulating vision for a restored secular America, that will inspire you to action — if you’re already a secular American. I could give you all of the details, but you really need to turn through this one yourself.

Read FULL REVIEW & INTERVIEW here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendly...(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Todd Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: culture-politics, atheism-religion-philosophy

Despite the sensationalist title and cover Attack of the Theocrats! is a rather reasonable call to bolster the wall of separation between church and state that was the founders intention and to eliminates government policies that favor religious institutions and conflict with the establishment clause of the constitution. These include tax payer funded support for institutions that are allowed to discriminate in their hiring practices based on religion or sexual orientation, laws that permit lowe...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Dan Arel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: political-economic, religion

This book is a call to arms. This should be required reading for all america, not just atheist or secular ones.

Our country is being transformed away from our true secular history and we are quickly becoming a theocratic nation. Sean Faircloth sees this clearly and he lays out a plan to stop it from happening!

I have recently had the pleasure of seeing Faircloth speak in person and this book is as inspiring as his speeches. Secular Americans must come together and make our voices heard before its...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In "Attack of the Theocrats," Sean Faircloth starts by painting a grim picture. Despite the United States being founded on solidly secular values, many believe that this is a theocratic country. Those who seek to make it a theocracy have significant political clout. Enough so that public gains in rationality have not spread to the federal government. Faircloth gives clear examples of the damage that theocratic exceptionalism currently does to the Republic.

Faircloth ends with a general plan to b...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Jim Razinha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me in 1995 and still consider it one of the most infuriating books I've ever read - because it completely disrupted what I thought I knew about history. I can use that same word (infuriating) to describe this book. I already knew most of this,, but Faircloth pulls it all together into one short volume. One short, yet utterly outrageous, teeth-grinding, damning indictment of the scariest trend in modern history.

Faircloth does a pretty good job of present...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Ignacio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The good: logic, eloquent, plenty of examples to support the argumentation, passionate about why the founding fathers were adamant about the separation of church and state, and why it is still extremely relevant. I was aware of some of the (criminally negligent) deaths due to faith healing, but not some of the most gruesome examples detailed here. The privileges and tax cuts to ministers of mega-churches sort of blew me away.

The less good: bit of repetition, not citing most quotes, writing style...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Tony Canas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A must read. It shows clearly how the Republicans have been hijacked by the religious and they have systematically eroded our freedoms. It also digs into the history of our founding fathers and how they never intended any religion to be pushed via legislation. Most importantly it shows why Secular Americans must join the fight and help save the country from general stupidity. I'd say this is the most important book I've read this year and everyone should read it.

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Aug 21, 2012 Samuel knowles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

Attack of the Theocrats is a fine book for those involved in the secular movement and definetly should read it. Despite that, I will also say that wile Sean has his moments of wits and good humor in this book, it is quite technical overall, so expect it to more informal in nature. From multimillion dollar christian televangelists to scheming fundamentalists politicians, and even Bible-thumping,meth-blowing and yes secretly gay megaministers--Sean tells all in this book. Regardless of how corrupt...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Tom Knudsen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A must read for everyone. If you do not believe in the principle of separation of church and state, this book will set you straight. If you know your history, this book is still informative. Then the book talks about all of the laws that apply to most of us, but not to religious organizations. Ignore the cartoon cover and read the book.

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Apr 23, 2012 Marius rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting to see how America has in recent years gone in the opposite direction of what Thomas Jefferson and James Madison stressed: to completely separate state and church. How Christianity affects (or infests) modern American politics today seems appalling. But I got the point in the first 3 chapters.

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Nov 13, 2012 Andy Cowen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: secular

Intelligently written and a hopeful look at a secular future. I love the juxtaposition of the quotes he use to introduce each section. I picked it up on audible for my commute, and the author is the reader. I rate the book a 4 and his reading a 3. Perfectly adequate, but well written.

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Aug 20, 2012 Ryan Caillet added it · review of another edition

An outstanding expose on the influence of the Religious Right in the governance of the United States. The 50 worst theocrats list is particularly useful in identifying which politicians pose the greatest threat to the United State's secular tradition.

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Jul 17, 2012 Dan added it · review of another edition

This is a serious book, despite the cartoonish looking cover. Faircloth catalogues several of the creeping inroads being made into the separation of church and state. He has started his own group to combat this problem: Secular Coalition of America.

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Jul 05, 2012 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ethics, current-affairs

Pretty well written. Obviously has a bias, but, if I recall, did a good job with sources. Really pissed me off. Anyone who has any connection to American politics should read this.

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Feb 15, 2012 Tyson Marshall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sean writes more like a really nice Sam Harris that wants to be everyone's pal, instead of brutal and blunt like a Dawkins or Hitchins. It was pretty good, but I prefer 'atheist' writers that roll up their sleeves more when talking about religious fundamentalists. I like shock.

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Jan 02, 2013 James rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author focuses in on how the cost of tax exemptions benefit clergy and churches especially pin regards to housing and travel expenses.

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Sep 25, 2012 Elizabeth marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, politics

As heard on "Point of Inquiry".

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Feb 08, 2012 Derek Colanduno rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As reviewed on Skepticality episode #174: http://www.skepticality.com/attack-th...

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Oct 10, 2012 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Equal parts interesting and infuriating at the amount of shit theocrats get away with.

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Oct 27, 2012 Chris Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was so good that I joined his cause and actually gave money.

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Mar 21, 2012 Shaz rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though I am sympathetic to his cause, this book is repetitive and boring.

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May 21, 2013 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-politics

Decent book. Very short. Not a lot of detail. Good message, however.

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Apr 14, 2012 George rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved it. Inspired, pragmatic.

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About Sean Faircloth

In his book, Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What We Can Do About It, Faircloth writes about the unprecedented threat of rising theocracy in America, offers a specific Secular Decade plan to address the problem, and offers a ten point vision of a Secular America in keeping with the values of Jefferson and Madison.

Sean Faircloth served five terms in the Maine Legis...more In his book, Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What We Can Do About It, Faircloth writes about the unprecedented threat of rising theocracy in America, offers a specific Secular Decade plan to address the problem, and offers a ten point vision of a Secular America in keeping with the values of Jefferson and Madison.

Sean Faircloth served five terms in the Maine Legislature. Faircloth served on the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. In his last term Faircloth was elected Majority Whip by his caucus colleagues.

An accomplished legislator, Faircloth successfully spearheaded over thirty laws, including the so-called Deadbeat Dad child support law which saved Maine taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and was later incorporated into federal law. Faircloth had numerous legislative successes in children's issues and justice system reform.

In two years as Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America, Faircloth conceived and led the Secular Decade plan, a specific strategic vision for resecularizing American government.

Faircloth earned a reputation for strategic thinking, innovative ideas, and speaking to groups in a way that energized them to support the secular cause.

As Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason, Faircloth will expand his strategic efforts on behalf of the entire secular movement, speak regarding policy issues, discuss the ideas in his book, and seek innovative ways to improve the secular movement. Faircloth has spoken around the United States about separation of church and state, the Constitution, children's policy, obesity policy, and sex crime law. Faircloth chaired a Commission on sex crime law reform which led to substantive improvement in that area of law. Faircloth chaired an early childhood commission, as well as a Commission regarding the citizen initiative process.

In Maine Faircloth also had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum and led the four-year project from concept to completion in 2001. Maine Discovery Museum was then the second largest children's museum outside Boston of the twenty-five children’s museums in New England. Faircloth graduated from the University of Notre Dame and has a law degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law. Faircloth served as a state Assistant Attorney General, and as a lobbyist for the state bar association.(less)

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