Civil religion in President Bush's address to the nation on 911

    President George W. Bush gave a speech to the nation in the Oval Office on the night of 911. In Bush's speech, he mentioned how freedom has been attacked, and victims suffered. At the end of this speech, Bush prayed for the victims and all whose sense of security had been shattered. He said, "I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us." And he quoted Psalm 23, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me." Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible. It is used both in Jewish and Christian liturgies. Such a quote comforts people with greater power than logical reasoning in the context and leaves people less to think but more to believe.

    According to Bellah's theory of civil religion, the US has a religion itself that is not specific to any religion but generalized. It gives the office a higher obligation, and it haves special concerns for America. In Bush's speech, it could be clearly seen that, during the difficult time when America was under attack, the president not only tried to comfort people with realistic future plans but also invoked a higher power. He did not specify which religion it was but still gave prayers and asked prayers for the nation. As Bellah described, "though much of it is selectively derived from Christianity, this religion is clearly not itself Christianity." Civil religion at such a moment can unite people in the US together and relate each individual together when the authority power had been proven ineffective in facing terrorism. It was a moment when people were in need of security and trust. At the end of President Bush's speech, as always, he said, "God bless America." Although the reality contrasts with what he just said, as Bellah described, in its civil religion, God always has a special concern for this nation.