Bellah

• Like Parsons, Bellah is interested in how religion unifies society, however applying it to multi-faith society such as America.
• Bellah states that American society is unified by an overarching civil religion, which attaches sacred qualities to society itself as the 'American Way of Life'.
• Civil religion involves loyalty to the nation as a whole, integrating society in a way that America's many churches and denominations cannot, as they all inherently disagree in terms of religious beliefs.
• How did the Discovery of America and Reformation lead to the rise of Civil religion?

  1. 1492- America was 'discovered'.
  2. 1517- Reformation led by Martin Luther.
  3. Different sects move to America, who broke from Catholicism, due to the reformation.
  4. As such, America is inherently religiously plural, so people don't agree.
  5. They must learn to get along, so form a civil religion, reinforcing common ways of acting and thinking e.g. 4th July, Thanksgiving, pledge of allegiance.