A Fourth Time of Trial

Towards an Implicit and Inclusive American Civil Religion

Bibliographic Data

ID20207127
AuthorsJermaine M McDonald (corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume16
Issue1
Pages47-64
Publication date2013-04-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueImplicit Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1463-9955 • E-ISSN: 1743-1697
PublisherEquinox Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1558/imre.v16i1.47
OpenAlexW1981450756
LanguageEN
Citations received2

This article revisits Robert Bellah’s conception of civil religion in America (using his methodology of deconstructing presidential addresses and other important political discourses), to posit that America is in the midst of a fourth time of trial, for which consensus on American identity and meaning in the world is in jeopardy. To that end, I revisit Bellah’s third time of trial to account for salient themes that have been added to American civil religion resulting from this period. Next, I analyse the public discourse of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama regarding the impact of 9/11 on American attitudes towards Muslims in America, to determine how the tenets of American civil religion have been affirmed, challenged, and critiqued in this time of trial, arguing for the need of a more implicit and inclusive understanding of civil religion. Finally, I suggest examples of Muslim Americans contributing to the broadening of recognizably American identity that aligns with the ways in which the post-9/11 presidents have made the case for an increase in American tolerance and diversity

Aesthetics · Civil Religion · Epistemology · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Salient · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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