Procession of Belief: Civil Religion in Everyday Politics

 

       The picture depicts a public protest in which politics and religion collide. At the forefront of the photo a young boy walks holding a large sign that reads, “We Vote Pro-God, Pro-America, Pro-Life, Pro-Freedom.” Next to him, being pushed in a stroller, sits a toddler holding a poster above his head that reads “CHOOSE LIFE.” Both children wear matching red shirts that read “Vote No Issue,” turning them into walking billboards. Red, white and blue are the dominant colors in the foreground. Behind these young children are a line of older children holding a long banner expressing support for “Culture of Life”, all dressed in matching green ties and white shirts that look like they could be school uniforms. Behind them all we see the top of a sign that reads “PRAY.” Calls for political action against abortion blend with signs that invoke God and prayer across the gathering. The visual language is similar to that of a sort of sacred procession, despite the fact that it takes place on a city street. Here, God, America, and life are more than phrases; they are emblems of ideological commitment, upheld by children too young to cast ballots but old enough to express conviction. This is an example of a passed-down, institutionalized civil religion.

    In his essay, Civil Religion in America, Robert Bellah argues that the United States has developed its own public faith that is firmly anchored in sacred traditions while not necessarily being affiliated with any particular church. He characterizes this concept of civil religion as a “collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity.” (Bellah 1967: 8)​. The idea of God is central to this symbolic system, as it is mentioned in presidential addresses, appears on currency, and is incorporated into public ceremonies such as the Pledge of Allegiance. While Bellah suggests that civic religion may bring the country together by forming its politics on transcendent principles, he also warns of the dangers of it. He specifically notes that this ideology, which combines the concepts of God, nation, and the flag, has at times been employed “to attack nonconformist and liberal ideas and groups of all kinds” (Bellah 1967: 14). In this sense, civil religion can serve as a political tool and even a sort of moral compass, establishing sacred lines between those who may belong and those who may not. 

    In quite striking ways, this image illustrates Bellah’s concept of civil religion. The child's sign, which places “God” above “America,” “Pro-Life,” and “Freedom,” implies a moral hierarchy where this heavenly power takes precedence over individual or national rights. In Bellah’s terms, this is a sort of performance of sacred political belonging, one in which God is recognized as the ultimate source of legitimacy and truth (Bellah 1967: 4). The main issue portrayed in this picture, abortion, is presented as a battle between good and evil, life and death, rather than as a legal debate. By placing God at the top of the message, the sign suggests that resistance to abortion is not just patriotic, but also demanded by God. As mentioned already, Bellah also warns that civil religion has been “used to attack nonconformist and liberal ideas” (Bellah 1967:14), and here we see how that moral absolutism works against women’s autonomy across the nation. The fact that children are carrying these messages emphasizes Bellah’s point that civil religion is institutionalized and passed down. These young demonstrators are already being initiated into public faith where political beliefs are presented in terms of religion, even though they are too young to fully understand the political stakes. In this way, the picture illustrates not only the resilience of civil religion in America but also how it continues to define who is and is not part of its moral circle.  

References:

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

Kaster, Caroline. 2024. “A Catholic Family’s Answer to Opposing Abortion: Adopt, Foster and Vote. Associated Press News. Retrieved March 27, 2025. (https://apnews.com/article/abortion-catholic-family-election-trump-1e2f8723d4a7f2c24dbd3ada590baa65)