Civil Religion

Definition

Civil religion refers to a shared system of religious beliefs, symbols, and rituals that provide a unifying moral framework for a nation or political community. It is a form of public religion that serves to integrate and legitimize a society's political order and values.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Civil religion is distinct from both personal/private religion and the official state religion, occupying a middle ground between the two.
2. It often incorporates elements from the dominant religious tradition(s) of a society, but adapts them to serve the needs of the political community.
3. Civil religion can play a role in fostering national unity, legitimizing political authority, and providing a shared moral framework for a society.
4. The concept of civil religion was developed by sociologist Robert Bellah to analyze the religious dimensions of American political culture and national identity.
5. While civil religion can promote social cohesion, it can also be used to justify nationalism, exclusion, and the marginalization of minority religious or cultural groups.

Review Questions

• Explain how civil religion differs from personal/private religion and official state religion.
  • Civil religion occupies a middle ground between personal/private religion and official state religion. Unlike personal/private religion, which is a matter of individual belief and practice, civil religion is a shared system of religious beliefs, symbols, and rituals that serve to integrate and legitimize a nation's political order and values. And unlike official state religion, which is formally institutionalized and enforced by the government, civil religion is a more informal and organic expression of the religious dimensions of a society's political culture and national identity.
• Describe the role that civil religion can play in fostering national unity and legitimizing political authority.
  • Civil religion can play an important role in fostering a sense of shared identity and purpose within a political community. By incorporating elements from a society's dominant religious traditions and adapting them to serve the needs of the nation, civil religion provides a unifying moral framework that can help to integrate citizens and legitimize the authority of political institutions. Through the use of common symbols, rituals, and sacred narratives, civil religion can cultivate a sense of civic piety and patriotism that strengthens the bonds between the individual and the state.
• Analyze how civil religion can both promote social cohesion and contribute to the marginalization of minority groups.
  • While civil religion can promote social cohesion and national unity, it can also be used to justify nationalism, exclusion, and the marginalization of minority religious or cultural groups. By privileging the dominant religious and cultural traditions of a society, civil religion can reinforce a narrow conception of national identity that fails to accommodate the diversity of the population. This can lead to the marginalization of minority groups and the suppression of alternative forms of religious and cultural expression. At the same time, the unifying power of civil religion can also be a source of social cohesion, provided that it is inclusive and responsive to the needs of all members of the political community.

Related terms

Civic Nationalism: A form of nationalism based on the shared values, political rights, and civic responsibilities of a nation's citizens, rather than on ethnicity or cultural identity.

Secularization:

The process by which a society or culture moves away from religious values and institutions towards a more secular, non-religious social and political order.

Civic Piety: The reverence and devotion expressed towards the symbols, values, and institutions of a political community, which serves to foster a sense of shared identity and purpose.