Crisis Sacrifice and The American Meaning of Civil Religion

This image captures a wide-angle view of the January 6, 2021, attacks against the U.S Capitol building. It depicts rioters gathered outside in protest, carrying numerous American and Trump 2020 flags and other symbols that can be attributed to the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement at the time. Additionally, you can see a Betsy Ross flag in the background, a symbol of early American unity and freedom with 13 stars in a circle, representing the original 13 colonies. This can be seen as a symbol of the American Revolution recently adopted by far-right nationalist groups as a symbol of resistance to modern government. This image creates a dystopian sort of feeling with the overcast atmosphere and the dramatic mass of people with aggressive body language and facial expressions. The group further shows their alliance and political views with MAGA hats and additional apparel that is entirely Trump and American supporting in nature. The Capitol building looks as though it's trying to stand triumphant and tall over the crowd as it continues to serve as a symbol of U.S democracy despite the circumstances present. Intense emotion is also captured well in this image as walls have been scaled and the balcony becomes fully occupied with demonstrations of rebellion, further emphasizing the scale of this attack. Finally, a police officer can be seen amidst the crowd, making a desperate attempt to control the chaos, showing that this type of reinforcement was insufficient.

Robert Bellah’s work, Civil Religion in America, discusses how the Civil War served as a national test, exploring what Americans value and how their findings and beliefs can be brought to light in trying times. This war ultimately served as a symbol of sacrifice and rebirth, further deepening the meaning of American civil religion. Attributes that Americans continue to hold dear in democracy today. Lincoln framed this war as something that could contribute positively to the foundation of America, wondering if it could serve as a spiritual awakening, something that would ultima malty determine if the nation could uphold its principles of liberty and equality (Bellah 1967:10). This war additionally reinforced christian and religious ideas as Lincoln suggests that the suffering was brought forth by Americans' participation in sin as slavery was the true cause of the war (Bellah 1967:10). The themes of rebirth and sacrifice become present through Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as the successful rebirth of the nation can be attributed to the soldiers' selfless sacrifices they undertook. This further evolves and solidifies the current civil religions as Lincoln becomes a martyr following his assassination, almost equating him to Jesus Christ (Bellah 1967:11). This tangent with the Union soldiers suggests that they both were willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater cause of the United States. Seemingly sacrificial figures evolved to become a central theme in American civil religion, as sacrifice and rebirth are essential qualities in leaders and citizens.

American civil religion today seems to rely on crisis for meaning and to evolve. Through January 6th, we can see the same ideas and values reflected from the Civil War. Much like the Civil War, this attack seemed to serve as an additional test of democratic institutions. It's uprising challenges the transition of power like the Union also did all those years ago. Lincoln was set to buy a Martyrdom and a famous symbol of sacrifice, because of his devotion and sacrifice. This is echoed through the police officers who died in an attempt to save the Capitol from attackers. These fallen soldiers have additionally been continually honored and recognized for their sacrifices for the country. The Capitol attackers saw their actions as defending a leader they viewed as almost god-like, similar to how Lincoln was once revered, though for very different reasons. Both sides believed they were fighting for moral and religious values, each thinking they were protecting what was best for America. This kind of struggle over the nation's meaning is something Bellah sees as central to civil religion and causes a sense of 'distortion'. But he also warns that civil religion can be twisted when leaders are idolized and religion is used to justify violence, all in the name of a greater good. He calls this a “cloak for petty interests and ugly passions” (Bellah 1967:19). This fight for America and civil religion gets into modern-day debates over voter rights, political violence, and powerful figures. This additionally reflects the division that was present through the fights in the Civil War that we still see today. Lastly, this reinforced Bellah's discussion around religious ideas and sin. During this riot, additional Christian evangelical imagery was displayed, as well as prayers shaping the motivations and attempting to justify the actions through blaming a ‘higher power’ or doing what Trump wanted because he is religiously glorified. Overall, this shows how civil religions continually influence American politics, and the ideas of sacrifice reflect American identity and faith in the system.

Samuel, Corum. January 12, 2021 From CNN Politics. Retrieved March 26, 2025 https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/210107134539-20-us-capitol-riots-0106.jpg?q=x_2,y_48,h_1123,w_1995,c_crop/h_653,w_1160/f_webp

Bellah, R. N. (1967). Civil religion in America. Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 96(1), 1-21. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20027022