Bellah’s Theory of Civil Religion – Painted on our Capitol’s Rotunda

The image above depicts the mural on the top of the United States Capitol building’s rotunda. The mural is titled “The Apotheosis of Washington,” which roughly translates to “the God of Washington.” George Washington, depicted here as the Apotheosis, is surrounded by the heavens and Greek goddesses from classical mythology. However, was our country not founded on the ideals of a secular state? If so, why would our first president be depicted in a spiritual way? Sociologist Robert Bellah’s theory on civil religion can provide a possible explanation. 

Bellah’s theory of civil religion suggests that the United States, although technically secular, is built upon a “civil religion.” According to Bellah, much of American political life is extracted from Durkhiem’s definition of religion: “a collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity” (Bellah 1967:8). Bellah explains that many United States systems encompass religion. For example, the United States 20 dollar bill reads, “In God We Trust.” Religion plays a prominent role in U.S. society and culture; thus, we have an American Civil Religion. The American Civil Region is nondenominational; most of our Founding Father’s acts are selectively derived from Christianity. However, the American Civil Religion is clearly not strictly Judeo-Christian. For example, instead of using Christ, we refer to God. We often focus on the idea of death and rebirth, not salvation; President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address applies this concept of rebirth after the Civil War. 

Bellah’s concept of an American Civil Religion clearly holds some basis. Even if an individual is not religious, we tend to guide our lives based on our morals, beliefs, and rituals – all of which hold some “spiritual” ground. Through the application of Bellah’s theory and my personal observations of American society, I question if any state can truly be secular. Religion, despite the technical definition, is always present in society. Religious values drive morals leading to laws, values leading to elected leaders, and sacred duties leading us to act. 

Works Cited 

Bellah, Robert N. 1967. “Civil Religion in America.” Daedalus, 96(1):1–21. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027022)

Constantino, Brumidi. 1865. “The Apotheosis of Washington.” From Wikipedia. Retrieved March 1, 2023 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington#/media/File:Apotheosis_of_George_Washington.jpg).