Interesting quote from Bellah, "This public religious dimension is expressed in a set of beliefs, symbols, and rituals that I am calling American civil religion. The inauguration of a president is an important ceremonial event in this religion. It reaffirms, among other things, the religious legitimation of the highest political authority."
I like how he writes, "that I am calling American civil religion." That lets us all know that he has just made up a term.
And here we are blogging about his made up term 30 years later!
Yes, he Bellah is not the first one to write about Civil Religion, but he is the first one to apply it to the sense of American Civil Religion, which applies to the Unted States
Is their use of civil religion then something that is in addition to making reference to God?
ReplyDeleteI found the article you mentioned
http://www.robertbellah.com/articles_5.htm
Interesting quote from Bellah, "This public religious dimension is expressed in a set of beliefs, symbols, and rituals that I am calling American civil religion. The inauguration of a president is an important ceremonial event in this religion. It reaffirms, among other things, the religious legitimation of the highest political authority."
ReplyDeleteI like how he writes, "that I am calling American civil religion." That lets us all know that he has just made up a term.
And here we are blogging about his made up term 30 years later!
Wait a minute! Bellah writes, "The phrase "civil religion" is, of course, Rousseau's."
ReplyDeleteYes, he Bellah is not the first one to write about Civil Religion, but he is the first one to apply it to the sense of American Civil Religion, which applies to the Unted States
ReplyDelete