One Nation under God: The Triumph of the Native American Church

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This inspirational book celebrates the faith and courage of members of a traditional church that-in twentieth-century America is still struggling for religious freedom. Their greatest challenge is the ongoing legal battle against the 1990 Supreme Court decision citing peyote use to deny the Native American Church the First Amendment right to "the free exercise of religion." Legislation providing an exemption to the Native American Church was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1997. The eloquent personal testimony offered by Church members from many different tribes demonstrates the spiritual strength of this religious tradition and makes it clear that peyote is not used to obtain "visions" but to heal the body and spirit and to teach righteousness. Peyote meetings play a vital role in upholding the Church's standards of morality, which stress abstinence from alcohol, truthfulness, family obligations, economic self-sufficiency, service, and prayer. This book is important reading for anyone who cares about spiritual values, political process, and the individual's freedom to worship according to the dictates of conscience.

FROM THE CRITICS

Midwest Book Review