15 Facts About Civil religion

Civil religion, referred to as a civic religion, is the implicit religious values of a nation, as expressed through public rituals, symbols, and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places.

Countries described as having a civil religion include France, South Korea, the former Soviet Union, and the United States.

For Rousseau, civil religion was intended simply as a form of social cement, helping to unify the state by providing it with sacred authority.

Civil religion stands somewhat above folk religion in its social and political status, since by definition it suffuses an entire society, or at least a segment of a society; and is often practiced by leaders within that society.

Civil religion is usually practiced by political leaders who are laypeople and whose leadership is not specifically spiritual.

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Greek and Roman Civil religion were essentially local in character; the Roman Empire attempted to unite its disparate territories by inculcating an ideal of Roman piety, and by a syncretistic identifying of the gods of conquered territories with the Greek and Roman pantheon.

Civil religion encouraged the publication of works such as Virgil's Æneid, which depicted "pious Æneas", the legendary ancestor of Rome, as a role model for Roman religiosity.

The Roman civil religion later became centered on the person of the Emperor through the Imperial cult, the worship of the genius of the Emperor.

Phrase civil religion was first discussed extensively by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his 1762 treatise The Social Contract.

Civil religion said the dogmas of civil religion should be simple, few in number, and stated in precise words without interpretations or commentaries.

For Rousseau civil religion was to be constructed and imposed from the top down as an artificial source of civic virtue.

Civil religion is an important component of public life in America, especially at the national level for its celebration of nationalism.

Albanese argues that the American Revolution was the main source of the non-denominational American civil religion that has shaped patriotism and the memory and meaning of the nation's birth ever since.

Bellah describes the prophetic role of civil religion as challenging "national self-worship" and calling for "the subordination of the nation to ethical principles that transcend it in terms of which it should be judged".

Civil religion identified an elaborate system of practices and beliefs arising from America's unique historic experience and religiosity.