Origins
Rousseau (1762) coined the term; Durkheim (1912) saw religion as society celebrating itself.
Bellah's America
Bellah (1967) found a non-denominational God, sacred texts and rituals binding the nation to a transcendent standard, challenging secularisation theory.
Evidence and debate
Wimberley (1976) measured it; Bellah and Hammond (1980) compared nations; Mathisen (1989) reviewed debates; Gorski (2017) offered a history. Critics warn it can sanctify nationalism.
FAQ
- What is it in simple terms?
- A nation's shared sacred symbols and rituals, like flags and national holidays.
- How does it differ from ordinary religion?
- It centres on the nation rather than a church or doctrine.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Rousseau, J.-J. (1762). Du contrat social. Marc-Michel Rey. The term's origin.
- Durkheim, É. (1912). Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse. Félix Alcan. Religion as social integration.
- Bellah, R. N. (1967). Civil religion in America. Daedalus, 96(1), 1–21. The essay that launched the debate.
- Wimberley, R. C. (1976). Testing the civil religion hypothesis. Sociological Analysis, 37(4), 341–352. Early empirical measurement.
- Bellah, R. N., & Hammond, P. E. (1980). Varieties of civil religion. Harper & Row. Cross-national comparison.
- Mathisen, J. A. (1989). Twenty years after Bellah: Whatever happened to American civil religion? Sociological Analysis, 50(2), 129–146. Reviews two decades of debate.
- Gorski, P. (2017). American covenant: A history of civil religion from the Puritans to the present. Princeton University Press. A recent historical account.