Session Articles
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Historic Context of “Civic Religion” in America

By Natalie Finn

Wade Clark Roof

Through the religious prism “Chosen Nation” vs. “justice for all” represents the struggle between differing visions of America.

Wade Clark Roof, director of the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life at UC Santa Barbara, spoke of how President Bush’s rhetoric has used civil religion in an unprecedented way to support the war in Iraq and discuss terrorism and international threats with the public.

Roof defined civil religion as a term scholars use to describe the shared history and shared religious experiences of America - especially in events in which the entire country takes part, such as presidential inaugurations, national addresses that include the phrase “God bless America,” and holidays such as Memorial Day and Thanksgiving.

Typically meant to be a common religious denominator, civil religion “consecrates our nation’s sense of nationhood, and pivots around a set of tentative rituals forged out of our shared history,” said Roof.  “When we think of civil religion, we think of rhetoric about God and country and the fusion of the two - especially in times of war and national tragedy.”

While explaining and contextualizing the concept of civil religion in America, Roof also emphasized Bush’s evocation of national faith-based myths to advance his administration’s global agenda.

Bush’s rhetoric, especially post-9/11 and during the Iraq conflict, has been largely shaped by interrelated national myths, according to Roof. 

The first myth is of American innocence: America stands for what’s righteous, just and innocent, and will always have to struggle against the evil forces that hate us for our goodness.  Bush has pointed out “on more than one occasion… that we’re engaged in a struggle with evildoers and thugs.”

The second myth is that America exists outside of ordinary time.  The application of that metaphysical statement is that the United States’ vision of the future is what is right for the world and this nation has the continuing duty of redeeming others.  Therefore, the United States, being “positioned outside of time ... will miraculously usher in the final role of age for all mankind,” Roof said.  Bush has interpreted these national myths to rationalize the war in Iraq to the American public, Roof said.

The myth of civil religion is used to legitimize the country’s vision of itself as a superpower, he added.  Former President Ronald Reagan was adept at “capturing the heart of darkness at the heart of America” by invoking its obligation to the world as a redeemer nation.  America’s voluntary sacrifices were a means of repaying the debt incurred when it was blessed as a sacred place. 

Roof named three major crises in this nation’s history where the tenets of civil religion came into play. 

1. The Revolutionary War evoked images of George Washington delivering the country from bondage.
2. The Civil War created “a martyred president who suffered on behalf of the nation.”
3. The Vietnam War made Americans question their role in the global order.

In the modern age, global expansion is not limited to geography - it now encompasses economics, politics, exports and technology, along with “visions of human betterment.” Roof contrasted Bush, who would point to the United States’ obligations as a free nation, with former President Bill Clinton, who said the country had responsibilities that came with being a global superpower. 

Clinton used what Roof termed a prophetic version of civil religion.  This approach de-emphasizes the “chosen nation” rhetoric and focuses instead on the nation living up, or not living up, to its own moral and ethical ideals.  Bush’s approach is priestly, Roof said, as was former President George H.W. Bush’s. 

Both Bush Junior and Senior spoke of “duties to carry freedom and democracy abroad,” emphasizing the United States’ uniqueness in its ability to do that.  The priestly version of civil religion focuses on America as a chosen nation, a myth that has heavily influenced the both Bush administrations’ war rhetoric, one example being the decision to name the first military strike against Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan “Operation Infinite Justice.”

Roof questioned whether civil religion has become religious nationalism, especially in the face of Bush’s heavy-handed use of God-related faith and obligation in his public talks.  The line between prophetic influence and nation-worship is easily crossed, Roof said. 

Despite this, civil religion remains deeply fragmented because there is no single interpretation of what joins people together.  The United States is simply too diverse, and far too many belief or non-belief systems crisscross the nation to completely unite individuals under the blanket of one cause.  Conservatives stress “one nation under God” and the “unique mission which America has to fulfill for the world in extending freedom and democracy,” Roof says. 

Liberals, on the other hand, emphasize “liberty and justice for all” and believe in America’s role in contributing to the common good.  Under Bush’s administration, the conservative voice is far more organized and energized.

Roof went on to explain that America has used its technological advances to justify its global expansionism.  Because of technology’s endless possibilities, and the United States’ capability to produce it, the possibilities for America’s role overseas are endless.  The gift of freedom now includes American materialism and economic capitalism.

Finally, Roof noted the inadequacy of current civil religion, because as currently conceptualized, it cannot expand to fit this pluralist, religiously diverse world.  The current presidential administration’s use of specific Christian religious symbols goes beyond simply invoking faith in America. 

“There is rhetoric about God but very little judgment of the nation except for from the religious left, that has only a minor role,” Roof said.

Other nations are bound to be skeptical of our good intentions when they come wrapped in transnational corporate interest.  “The mix of God, money and national ideology may become increasingly transparent, to the point that civil religion as we’ve known it loses its integrity,” Roof said.  “What all this boils down to is that the stakes get raised for America.”