A Tradition of Tolerance? Not really.

Isn't it time to tell it like it is?

We've been hearing a lot about America's tradition of religious freedom and tolerance lately. But for centuries, religion has been used as a weapon to discriminate and cudgel "non- believers" and "heathens," many of whom came to America in search of religious freedom they never found. The battle over faith in the public square started long before the "Ground Zero Mosque."

In the October, 2010 issue of Smithsonian magazine, I delve into the real history of...