Keith Davis's Reviews > The Faiths of the Postwar Presidents: From Truman to Obama

It is easy to be cynical about the religious pronouncements of politicians. A few modern US Presidents appear to have been completely sincere in their professions of faith (Truman, Ford, Carter,and both Bushes) while others seem a little more opportunistic. Eisenhower was the biggest surprise to me in this book. Ike was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, ran away from that faith when he was old enough to leave home, and only joined the Presbyterian Church the week before he announced his candidacy for President. Nixon not surprisingly comes across as the most duplicitous regarding his personal faith. Reagan, though practically elevated to sainthood by the religious right, was not a churchgoer and seemed more at home consulting with astrologers than preachers. The book's final chapter is one of the best short biographies of Obama I have read and cuts through a lot of the confusion about his complex religious background.