Bellah- 4th of July Celebration and Civil Religion, Langley

By Anonymous

 

This image pictures the Fourth of July Parade in Washington D.C. in 2019.  Civil religion is represented in this photo by the ritualistic gathering, the reverence for the flag and the soldiers, and the display of patriotism. Clearly, many people are gathering together which relates to Durkheim’s idea of social currents and the importance of ceremonies. Belah argues that ceremonies like the Fourth of July, ones which are observed by hundreds of thousands of Americans and structure the calendar, create a “ritual calendar for civil religion” (Bellah 1967: 11). He suggests that rituals are “often indicative of deep-seated values and commitments that are not made explicit in the course of everyday life” (Bellah 1967: 2). According to Belah’s argument, people are not just gathering because it’s what everyone else does or they want to eat barbecue and watch fireworks, they are celebrating a deeper set of values which he goes on to detail. Belah suggests that the Founding Fathers first stitched a civil religion into America’s self understanding by incorporating the notion of God and God’s will. The preamble to the Declaration of Independence states that men are endowed rights by God and that the following document intends to protect those rights. God, in the American civil religion, is not a watchmaker but has a “special interest for America” because America was created to deliver God’s will on earth (Bellah 1967:7). The Fourth of July Parade is rooted in celebrating America, its independence, and its values. When Americans gather for, mark their calendars around, and celebrate the Fourth of July, they are participating in civil religion because America is only legitimate insofar as it aligns with the supreme will of God (as said by the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and in every inaugural speech). 


Citations

Bellah, Robert N. 1967. “Civil Religion in America.” Daedalus 96(1): 1-21.

Loeb, Saul. July 4, 2019. “Us-politics-holiday-independence” From BBC.com, Retrieved March 23, 2022 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53254889). 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 25, 2022 at 7:17 AM

    I really liked the image you chose for the fourth of July. I think it really demonstrates Bellah's argument for civil religion surrounding sacred gathering or ceremonies. The photo has an abundance of sacred symbols, all which hold weight in the United States. When thinking about U.S. holidays and how they can be referenced to civil religion, I though mostly of memorial day, labor day, presidents day, etc. I wonder how Bellah would discuss the commodification of these holidays, like the fourth of July, in civil religion. Specifically in regards to certain products using red, white and blue for special fourth of July specials. Do these holidays lose their value or meaning when this happens?

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