The FBI and Religion : Faith and National Security Before and After 9/11

Cover; Contents; List of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Introduction. "True Faith and Allegiance"-Religion and the FBI; 1. American Religion and the Rise of Internal Security: A Prologue; 2. "If God be for you, who can be against you?" Persecution and Vindication of the Church of God in Christ during World War I; 3. The FBI and the Moorish Science Temple of America, 1926-1960; 4. J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and the Religious Cold War; 5. Apostles of Deceit: Ecumenism, Fundamentalism, Surveillance, and the Contested Loyalties of Protestant Clergy during the Cold War.;The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a long and tortuous relationship with religion over almost the entirety of its existence. As early as 1917, the Bureau began to target religious communities and groups it believed were hotbeds of anti-American politics. Whether these religious communities were pacifist groups that opposed American wars, or religious groups that advocated for white supremacy or direct conflict with the FBI, the Bureau has infiltrated and surveilled religious communities that run the gamut of American religious life. This Book Is The First To Examine The Fraught Relationship Between The Federal Bureau Of Investigation And A Variety Of Religious Groups That Have Developed In The United States In The Century Of The Fbi's Existence. Encompassing Religious Communities That Run The Gamut From Established Religious Institutions To Violent Extremist Groups, And Covering A Period That Includes The World Wars, The Cold War, The Civil Rights Movement, And 9/11, Truth Faith And Allegiance Tackles Questions Of Importance For Understanding The History Of American Religion, The History Of Law Enforcement, And The Future Of Religious Liberty--provided By Publisher. Introduction True Faith And Allegiance : Religion And The Fbi / Sylvester A. Johnson And Steven Weitzman -- American Religion And The Rise Of Internal Security : A Prologue / Kathryn Gin Lum And Lerone Martin -- If God Be For You, Who Can Be Against You? : Persecution And Vindication Of The Church Of God In Christ During World War I / Theodore Kornweibel, Jr. -- The Fbi And The Moorish Science Temple Of America, 1926-1960 / Sylvester A. Johnson -- J. Edgar Hoover, The Fbi, And The Religious Cold War / Dianne Kirby -- Apostles Of Deceit : Ecumenism, Fundamentalism, Surveillance, And The Contested Loyalties Of Protestant Clergy During The Cold War / Michael Mcvicar -- The Fbi And The Catholic Church / Regin Schmidt -- Hoover's Judeo-christians : Jews, Religion, And Communism In The Cold War / Sarah Imhoff -- Policing Public Morality : Hoover's Fbi, Obscenity, And Homosexuality -- The Fbi And The Nation Of Islam / Karl Evanzz -- Dreams And Shadows : Martin Luther King Jr., The Fbi, And The Southern Christian Leadership Conference / Sylvester A. Johnson -- A Vast Infiltration : Mormonism And The Fbi / Matthew Bowman -- The Fbi's Cult War Against The Branch Davidians / Catherine Wessinger -- The Fbi And American Muslims After September 11 / Michael Barkun -- Policing Kashmiri Brooklyn / Junaid Rana -- Allies Against Armageddon? : The Fbi And The Academic Study Of Religion / Steven Weitzman. Edited By Sylvester A. Johnson And Steven Weitzman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction. “True Faith and Allegiance”—Religion and the FBI 14 1. American Religion and the Rise of Internal Security: A Prologue 30 2. “If God be for you, who can be against you?” Persecution and Vindication of the Church of God in Christ during World War I 45 3. The FBI and the Moorish Science Temple of America, 1926–1960 68 4. J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and the Religious Cold War 80 5. Apostles of Deceit: Ecumenism, Fundamentalism, Surveillance, and the Contested Loyalties of Protestant Clergy during the Cold War 98 6. The FBI and the Catholic Church 121 7. Hoover’s Judeo-Christians: Jews, Religion, and Communism in the Cold War 134 8. Policing Public Morality: Hoover’s FBI, Obscenity, and Homosexuality 147 9. The FBI and the Nation of Islam 161 10. Dreams and Shadows: Martin Luther King Jr., the FBI, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 181 11. A Vast Infiltration: Mormonism and the FBI 204 12. The FBI’s “Cult War” against the Branch Davidians 216 13. The FBI and American Muslims after September 11 257 14. Policing Kashmiri Brooklyn 269 15. Allies against Armageddon? The FBI and the Academic Study of Religion 282 Notes 304 Index 354 A 354 B 355 C 356 D 360 E 361 F 361 G 362 H 363 I 364 J 365 K 365 L 366 M 367 N 369 O 370 P 370 Q 372 R 372 S 373 T 375 U 376 V 376 W 376 X 377 Y 377 Z 377 The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a long and tortuous relationship with religion over almost the entirety of its existence. As early as 1917, the Bureau began to target religious communities and groups it believed were hotbeds of anti-American politics. Whether these religious communities were pacifist groups that opposed American wars, or religious groups that advocated for white supremacy or direct conflict with the FBI, the Bureau has infiltrated and surveilled religious communities that run the gamut of American religious life.
 
The FBI and Religion recounts this fraught and fascinating history, focusing on key moments in the Bureau’s history. Starting from the beginnings of the FBI before World War I, moving through the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War, up to 9/11 and today, this book tackles questions essential to understanding not only the history of law enforcement and religion, but also the future of religious liberty in America.
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a long and tortuous relationship with religion over almost the entirety of its existence. As early as 1917, the Bureau began to target religious communities and groups it believed were hotbeds of anti-American politics. Whether these religious communities were pacifist groups that opposed American wars, or religious groups that advocated for white supremacy or direct conflict with the FBI, the Bureau has infiltrated and surveilled religious communities that run the gamut of American religious life. The FBI and Religion recounts this fraught and fascinating history, focusing on key moments in the Bureau's history. Starting from the beginnings of the FBI before World War I, moving through the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War, up to 9/11 and today, this book tackles questions essential to understanding not only the history of law enforcement and religion, but also the future of religious liberty in America."--Provided by publisher This volume is an interdisciplinary assessment of the relationship between religion and the FBI. We recount the history of the FBI’s engagement with multiple religious communities and with aspects of public or “civic” religion such as morality and respectability. The book presents new research to explain roughly the history of the FBI’s interaction with religion over approximately one century, from the pre-Hoover period to the post-9/11 era. Along the way, the book explores vexed issues that go beyond the particulars of the FBI’s history—the juxtaposition of “religion” and “cult,” the ways in which race can shape the public’s perceptions of religion (and vica versa), the challenges of mediating between a religious orientation and a secular one, and the role and limits of academic scholarship as a way of addressing the differing worldviews of the FBI and some of the religious communities it encounters. " ... the first to examine the fraught relationship between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and religious groups in the United States in the past century. Encompassing religious organizations from established institutions to extremist groups and covering a period that includes the World Wars, the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, and 9/11, this book tackles questions of importance for understanding American religion, the history of law enforcement, and the future of religious liberty"--Back cover