Religious Politics and Secular States: Egypt, India, and the United States

6 The Rise and Decline of American Secularism

chapter six The Rise and Decline of American Secularism Religion has always been a central feature of American politics. Despite an institutional separation of church and state, religion—particularly Protestant Christianity—remains firmly rooted in American nationalism and culture. So, too, is the belief that Americans are a chosen people with a unique destiny in the world. This messianic understanding of the American idea draws from the religious idealism of the country’s Puritan origins and is evident in the tendency to associate democracy with Divine Providence. America’s religious heritage is also a source of conflict, however, and has given rise to two competing visions of the nation. In its more benign moments, the transcendent elements of American nationalism have served as a “civil religion” that provides faith and meaning to public life.1 This nonsectarian understanding of religion defined the liberal consensus of the post–World War II period and was largely consistent with a secular program of national development. At other times, however, Protestant Christianity has informed a more exclusive and aggressive religious nationalism. This variant of the American idea provides an explicitly Christian narrative to American history and links national purpose with the execution of God’s Will on earth. 178 Religious Politics and Secular States These divergent views of America’s religious heritage reflect both different interpretations of the Judeo-Christian tradition and competing visions of the nation. They have also shaped the fault lines of political conflict for two centuries . On the one hand, the secular vision of American nationalism is premised on a liberal or modernist understanding of religion and an inclusive national identity . This reflects the Enlightenment ideas prevalent at the nation’s founding and the inclusive elements of the Puritan tradition. It also reflected the diversity of American religious life. The U.S. Constitution consequently embodies a compromise on the question of religion: in order to protect religion (and conscience) from undue government interference, no particular denomination is given preference in the institutions of nation and state. This emphasis on religious freedom is central to the country’s self-understanding as a free and open society. The alternative vision of American nationalism, however, rejects the secular tradition, seeing the United States as an explicitly Christian nation. This interpretation draws from the intolerant elements of the Puritan legacy and informs a more exclusive vision of national identity, one defined along ethnic, racial, or religious lines. Advocates of this view have historically been concerned about an excessive secularism that they believe is the source of contemporary social ills. A closer association between state and organized Christianity, then, is seen as a prerequisite for redeeming the political community and reinstilling a traditional sense of values in American public life. These competing visions of the nation also involve very different conceptions about the nature and use of American power. Religion in the liberal context commonly served a prophetic function in American politics and has been invoked to constrain the exercise of temporal power (at least in such cases as the Vietnam War). As such, this worldview sees “the nation as under God and therefore responsible to God.”2 This mirrors Robert N. Bellah’s original understanding of civil religion, in which the nation is subordinate “to the ethical principles that transcend it and in terms of which it should be judged.”3 Religious morality , from this view, ought to guide—and to constrain—government action, particularly given the potential for abuse by a fallible humanity. The more overtly Christian vision of religious nationalism, on the other hand, has tended to conflate religious purpose with that of the state or of a particular political party. As such, it has commonly provided a priestly affirmation for government policy and a license for action taken on behalf of the nation. American power—military, political, or economic—is consequently portrayed as benign precisely because it is associated with divine purpose. Patriotism and nationalist symbols (such as The Rise and Decline of American Secularism 179 the flag) are subsequently elevated to religious status, making the nation itself an object of veneration. Instead of calling government to account, this approach makes goals like the protection of national interest (however defined) the basis for judging the morality of government policy. Like the other two cases in this book, the political fortunes of these competing visions of religion and nation have fluctuated dramatically over time. Debates over the proper role of...