From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American civil religion is a term coined by sociologist Robert Bellah in 1967, it became one of the most debated and controversial essays in United States sociology.[1][2][3] 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.[2] This belief system has historically been used to attack nonconformist and liberal ideas and groups.[1]
[edit] Three periods of crisis
Bellah argued that America has experienced three periods when a large number of Americans were cynical about the American creed. When "the spiritual glue that had bound the nation together in previous years had simply collapsed". The founding of the nation is the first period, since it as by no means clear that the American people could actualize the American creed. The Civil war and the 1960's were the other two periods.[1] [4][5]
[edit] Quotes
|
|
While some have argued that Christianity is the national faith...few have realized that there actually exists alongside...the churches an elaborate and well-institutionalized civil religion in America.[1] |
|
|
|
The greatest part of...America was peopled by men who...brought with them into the New World a form of Christianity...by styling it a democratic and republican religion. --Alexis de Tocqueville. [1] |
|
- ^ a b c d e Bellah, Robert Neelly (Winter 1967). "Civil Religion in America". Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 96 (1): 1-21. From the issue entitled Religion in America.
- ^ a b Kaplan, Dana Evan (Aug 15, 2005). The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82204-1. p. 118.
- ^ Mestrovic, Stjepan G (1993). The Road from Paradise. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1827-1. p. 129
- ^ Hughes, Richard T. (July 6, 2004). Myths America Lives By. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-07220-0. p. 3.
- ^ Bellah, Robert Neelly, University of Chicago Press (August 15, 1992). The Broken Covenant: American Civil Religion in Time of Trial. ISBN 0-226-04199-9.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
[edit] American civil religion
- Bellah, Robert Neelly (Winter 1967). "Civil Religion in America". Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 96 (1): 1-21. From the issue entitled Religion in America.
- Bellah, Robert Neelly (August 15, 1992). The Broken Covenant: American Civil Religion in Time of Trial. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-04199-9.
- Canipe, Lee (March 22 2003). "Under God and anti-communist: how the Pledge of Allegiance got religion in Cold-War America". Journal of Church and State.
- Cloud, Matthew W (March 22 2004). ""One nation, under God": tolerable acknowledgement of religion or unconstitutional cold war propaganda cloaked in American civil religion?". Journal of Church and State 46 (2): 311. ISSN 0021-969X.
- Edwords, Frederick (November/December 1987). "The religious character of American patriotism". The Humanist magazine: 20-24, 36.
- Gehrig, Gail (June 1981). American Civil Religion: An Assessment. Society for Scientific Study. ISBN 0-932566-02-2.
- Hughes, Richard T. (July 6, 2004). Myths America Lives By. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-07220-0.
- Jewett, Robert, John Shelton Lawrence. Captain America And The Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-2859-0. Page 328 specifically talks about American civil religion, referencing Jones's book, American Civil Religion.
- Jones, Donald G., Russell E. Richey (November 1990 (Original published in 1974 by Harper)). American Civil Religion. Mellen University Press. ISBN 0-7734-9997-0.
- Mathisen, James A. (1989). "Twenty Years After Bellah: Whatever Happened to American Civil Religion?". Sociological Analysis 50 (2): 29-46.
- Civil Religion entry, Swatos, William H. (1998). Encyclopedia of Religion and Society. AltaMira Press. ISBN 0-7619-8956-0.
[edit] American exceptionalism
- Further information: American exceptionalism
