From Cultural Civil Religion to Political Civil Religion: the Transformation of American Civil Religion

Abstract

This study aims to determine the reasons and turning points of the blockages experienced by the civil religion of the USA, which is primarily based on freedom. The subject of the study is the change of American civil religion in the historical process. The basic theory on which the study is based is Marcela Cristi's Durkheimian/cultural/ sociological civil religion and the distinction of Rousseauian/political/ideological civil religion. The study's main conclusion is that the American civil religion showed the characteristics of the Durkheimian civil religion until the American Civil War. After the Civil War, it evolved into the Rousseauian civil religion.In the study, we benefited from the rituals and cultural values that developed in the historical process using ethnography. We discussed the theory on which the study will be built with phenomenology. We included case studies and work analysis. In the first part of the study, we explained the civil religion views of Rousseau and Durkheim and the distinction Cristi made between the two. Then, according to Cristi's distinction, we describe American nation-building and civil religion to understand American nationalism. Finally, we evaluated the transition process of American civil religion from the Durkheimian line to the Rousseauian line with examples based on the first two chapters.Rousseau argues that the social contract is insufficient to become a society. To hold society together firmly, every citizen must have a religious belief that will make him love his duty. What concerns the sovereign is to make people good citizens. Thus, Rousseau emphasizes the importance of building a civil religion that will hold the society together by the sovereign and that everyone under the community's roof is wholeheartedly devoted to this civil religion.Although he does not directly mention civil religion, Emile Durkheim thinks there is a need for a civil religion to ensure society's continuity. For him, if political societies are simultaneously churches, certain dogmas, myths, and moral and historical traditions that all members of society share exist or once existed. In addition, there are always social currents that do not originate from the state and move social segments in a particular direction. The state is often under their influence.Rituals and symbols are indispensable for the formation and continuation of social consciousness. In this context, Durkheim discusses a civil religion that will form in society and develop certain rituals and symbols over time. Therefore, Durkheim does not point to a religion to be designed by the sovereign like Rousseau, but to a civil religion that is the product of traditions and culture developed by living together.Marcela Cristi brings a different perspective to the views of Rousseau and Durkheim. Cristi developed a theory that political religion is also in the equation. Cristi argues that civil religion exists in two different forms, the first being cultural and sociological and the second being political and ideological. Cristi says that civil religion is either a phenomenon that shows the inner beliefs of members of a particular group or a form of power used to support an existing political order. In other words, according to Cristi, civil religion, which Rousseau says should be determined by the sovereign, is a political and ideological civil religion. On the other hand, civil religion, in which Durkheim brought ceremonies and symbols to the fore to ensure social integrity and spiritual concentration, is a cultural and sociological civil religion. In this study, we evaluated the civil religion observed in the nation-building process in the USA within the framework of this distinction.American society was formed mainly by mass immigration from Europe and other continents. Thus, the American national identity was gradually separated from the Anglo-Saxon identity and shared heritage of the early settlers. American national identity is built on texts such as the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution and on shared values, memories, and venerated symbols, such as glorifying the Founding Fathers or those who died in the war. The phenomenon of civil religion also came into play at this point. This process of creating values, memories, and symbols indicates the formation of the American civil religion.Cultural and religious practices emerged and developed in the early stages of American nation-building. However, with the emerging nationalism and the systematic exclusion of non-white, non-Anglo-Saxon non-Protestants, these civil religious practices evolved into political civil religion. In this process, the civil war provided an awakening. State institutions began to be used effectively to design a civil religion that would integrate society. Thus, the transition from a cultural civil religion to a political civil religion began. The first influential figure in this process was President Abraham Lincoln. He successfully used the civil war and its tragedy to build a new civil religion. To give a national dimension to the civil religion that was being constructed, these had to be instilled in each American in their entirety from childhood. A handbook prepared for state schools exemplifies the post-civil war American nation-building process and a textbook that aims to internalize political, civil, and religious rituals from childhood in the American nation. This handbook aims to contribute to American nation-building through various civil and religious rituals nationwide.But, with the transition from a cultural civil religion to a political civil religion, exclusion against African Americans and natives has become apparent. Mass immigration to America increased after the Civil War. In this period, the masses, likely to have a national consciousness already, became Americans. In this process, both the following generations were increasingly deprived of national consciousness as they were not the primary witnesses of the price paid, and it took time for the new residents of America to gain national consciousness and feelings of loyalty. In this context, ethnic discrimination and exclusionary nationalism emerged at the end of the process. Therefore, while trying to build a national consciousness that would include the entire American society with political, civil, and religious practices, all ethnic differences, especially African Americans and natives, were excluded from the community.