is a term coined by sociologist Robert Bellah in 1967. The article in which the term is coined, "Civil Religion in America", sparked one of the most controversial debates in United States sociology. Soon after the paper was published, the topic became the major focus at religious sociology conferences and numerous articles and books were written on the subject. The debate reached its peak with the American Bicentennial celebration in 1976. According to Bellah, Americans embrace a common "civil religion" with certain fundamental beliefs, values, holidays, and rituals, parallel to, or independent of, their chosen religion.
It's an interesting article. When Bellah writes about Americans giving their lives during the civil war so that others might live, and compares that to Christ and compares Lincoln's death to the death of Jesus Christ, well, that might be where the controversy came in. I'm still wondering about what the debate IS.
Are you using this article as a reference in your paper???
So, the sacrifice of Americans during war time, this is religious. Then, the public holiday rituals of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, this is how we celebrate our civil religion.
I think it really has a lot to do with sacrifice and giving of one's life for the benefit of others.
Maybe national healthcare is an example of civil religion. We should all sacrifice for the well being of others. So, Obama is leading the country now with this new moral imperative, that is similar to the Christian ethic of sacrifice for the good of others. The environmental movement, the message to consume less, bailing out financial institutions for the good of the economy - might these all be examples of civil religion?
In Bellah's conclusion, he writes about our third trial. I think that we are in the middle of what he predicted now and that Obama did use civil religion in relation to this third trial in asking for citizens to take responsibility to act for the good of others. When Bush sent us to war with Iraq, the reasons were to protect others from weapons of mass destruction and when that proved to be wrong, it was about freeing the Iraqi people from a tyrant, when that was done, it was about establishing democracy. One could argue that the Iraq war was justified as an act of civil religion.
This is controversial. To say that we would go to war, send our citizens to war, convince Americans to fight in wars as an act of following a "civil religion," that could get some people upset.
Q: What did you think of Obama’s inaugural address?
A: I’ve been reading it several times. I was a little disappointed for the lack of soaring rhetoric, but it really is a very serious sermon about what our problems are and where we are. It’s a balanced statement of implied criticism, but also of hope that we can rise to the best in our tradition.
Q: Why do you call it a sermon?
A: It’s a profound meditation on the highest ideas of our culture, ending with George Washington and those two words: hope and virtue. He’s talking about the Scripture of the American civil religion. He’s explicating it and telling us what it calls us to do. What else is that but a sermon?
It was also a recovery of civil religion from self-righteous nationalism. There are people who think we can do anything we want, that civil religion is about worshipping the nation, and that the divine will and the nation are fused. The phrase “under God” means “under God’s judgment, so you better watch out.”
Q: So, how does Obama’s inaugural speech compare with that of say, former President George W. Bush, when he talks about freedom being the gift of the Almighty?
A: That speech was so very close to identifying the United States with divine providence, so from my point of view it was an utter subversion of civil religion. Bush’s two inaugural addresses were horrid, so shallow. It was precisely the kind of civil religion that made me want to not use the term.
Can you define civil religion for us?
ReplyDeleteis a term coined by sociologist Robert Bellah in 1967. The article in which the term is coined, "Civil Religion in America", sparked one of the most controversial debates in United States sociology. Soon after the paper was published, the topic became the major focus at religious sociology conferences and numerous articles and books were written on the subject. The debate reached its peak with the American Bicentennial celebration in 1976. According to Bellah, Americans embrace a common "civil religion" with certain fundamental beliefs, values, holidays, and rituals, parallel to, or independent of, their chosen religion.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting article. When Bellah writes about Americans giving their lives during the civil war so that others might live, and compares that to Christ and compares Lincoln's death to the death of Jesus Christ, well, that might be where the controversy came in. I'm still wondering about what the debate IS.
ReplyDeleteAre you using this article as a reference in your paper???
So, the sacrifice of Americans during war time, this is religious. Then, the public holiday rituals of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, this is how we celebrate our civil religion.
ReplyDeleteI think it really has a lot to do with sacrifice and giving of one's life for the benefit of others.
Maybe national healthcare is an example of civil religion. We should all sacrifice for the well being of others. So, Obama is leading the country now with this new moral imperative, that is similar to the Christian ethic of sacrifice for the good of others. The environmental movement, the message to consume less, bailing out financial institutions for the good of the economy - might these all be examples of civil religion?
ReplyDeleteIn Bellah's conclusion, he writes about our third trial. I think that we are in the middle of what he predicted now and that Obama did use civil religion in relation to this third trial in asking for citizens to take responsibility to act for the good of others. When Bush sent us to war with Iraq, the reasons were to protect others from weapons of mass destruction and when that proved to be wrong, it was about freeing the Iraqi people from a tyrant, when that was done, it was about establishing democracy. One could argue that the Iraq war was justified as an act of civil religion.
ReplyDeleteThis is controversial. To say that we would go to war, send our citizens to war, convince Americans to fight in wars as an act of following a "civil religion," that could get some people upset.
ReplyDeleteHere is an interview with Robert Bellah about Obama and Bush!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/tenminutes/10_minutes_with_robert_bellah/
from the interview I posted in my last comment:
ReplyDeleteQ: What did you think of Obama’s inaugural address?
A: I’ve been reading it several times. I was a little disappointed for the lack of soaring rhetoric, but it really is a very serious sermon about what our problems are and where we are. It’s a balanced statement of implied criticism, but also of hope that we can rise to the best in our tradition.
Q: Why do you call it a sermon?
A: It’s a profound meditation on the highest ideas of our culture, ending with George Washington and those two words: hope and virtue. He’s talking about the Scripture of the American civil religion. He’s explicating it and telling us what it calls us to do. What else is that but a sermon?
It was also a recovery of civil religion from self-righteous nationalism. There are people who think we can do anything we want, that civil religion is about worshipping the nation, and that the divine will and the nation are fused. The phrase “under God” means “under God’s judgment, so you better watch out.”
Q: So, how does Obama’s inaugural speech compare with that of say, former President George W. Bush, when he talks about freedom being the gift of the Almighty?
A: That speech was so very close to identifying the United States with divine providence, so from my point of view it was an utter subversion of civil religion. Bush’s two inaugural addresses were horrid, so shallow. It was precisely the kind of civil religion that made me want to not use the term.