Pip Wynans
Dr. McDaniel
Social World
1 May 2018
Religious Freedom in the U.S: Why American Culture is itself a Religion
Abstract:
The focus of this paper will be to reason why American culture is itself a religion based on concepts of liberty and the definition of a religious ideology. This concept, supported by the theories of Durkheim, will then provide context for why having religious freedom is detrimental to the fundamental structure of American society. It will then build a better understanding of what the social construct of Liberty is and why it can already be considered America’s most integral source of moral values.
Liberty, in the context of American society, has all of the key requirements to be considered a religion. According to Emile Durkheim, a religion is a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things,” or things that have been set apart and forbidden “– beliefs and practices which unite (people) into one single moral community…" (Durkheim). The concept of Liberty is religious in that it is capable of uniting the American people into one cohesive society. America has set up laws, gone to war and based its moral compass on the maintenance of Liberty. Liberty has become a sacred ideology, meaning that it is an essential part of society and dictates a pattern of beliefs and practices. “In the general enthusiasm of [the Revolution], things that were by nature purely secular were transformed by public opinion into sacred things: Fatherland, Liberty, Reason” (Durkheim). The elevation of Liberty into a religious concept began with the entrance of pilgrims into the Americas in search for freedom. This freedom became the reasoning behind their actions and the thing that kept them moving forward. Once the Revolution came about, it was not simply freedom that they desired but liberty.
The promotion of Liberty as the source of American beliefs has allowed the country and its people to become more cohesive and united. Many may believe that Liberty is about personal freedoms, about being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views, as per the technical definition of liberty. However, American liberty is more of a collective ideology. “The force of collectivity is not wholly external; it does not move us entirely from the outside”(Durkheim). In this same way, Liberty is not an outside force, but an internal belief, meaning that each individual American pursues Liberty in a way that brings them into the mindset of the overarching religion. “Society can exist only in and by means of minds, it must enter into us and become organized within us. That force thus becomes an integral part of our being and…uplifts it and brings it to maturity” (Durkheim) The societal connection in America is Liberty.
Now that Liberty as a religion has been clearly laid out, it is necessary to consider what effect this has when other religions attempt to take part in the governance of the country. Having outside factors, such as alternate religions,in the general decision making and running of the country, puts a strain on this order that we build using the uniting concept of Liberty. Former US president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, stated "our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don't care what it is". His understanding of the necessity of religion, and its collective power, forced him to believe that the country required one religious ideology, through which all decisions pertaining to society would be made. In this way, an argument can be made that the promotion of individualism through religious freedom undermines the American concept of Liberty. Durkheim also ascertains that religion is a reflection of society itself, and that there is no society with religion. This is not to say that having an alternate religion is bad, but that allowing that religion to dictate one’s everyday motivations and morals, as they pertain to the running of the country, can negatively impact the united, yet delicate, structure that has been built through the lens of Liberty. Religious differences can cause segregation and allows for inequality and rifts such as those found between political parties and social groups. For example, biblical references have been used to combat the integration of the LGBTQ+ community into the folds of general society. The same can be said for the negative connotation that surrounds minorities and women. In a society where everyone has their own set of beliefs, their personal viewpoints on certain political subjects are then dictated by religion.
By removing alternate religions from the nation’s decisionmaking, we can therefore create a country based on the betterment of itself and not on personal agendas or promotions. When society as a whole is capable of putting problems into perspective of the same religion, it can then come to conclusions for the benefit of the State. This sort of American state would look similar to that of a Theocracy. The nation of Israel in the Torah followed the same religion and therefore, adhered to the same principles of living and were able to find harmony, as it pertained to law and order. The difference between Israel of early history and American society would be that the religion of Liberty is tied to general well being and democratic coherence, instead of following the orders of a God. To Durkheim, this theocratic sense of liberty can allow for harmony among the American people, to the point where social groups become one under the motivating power of Liberty.
While this theory does not take into account other factors that can cause discord in the American society, it stands to reason that if Church and State are no longer kept separate, but simply redefined, then not only will the country be more united, but the leaders of the country will be capable of fulfilling all of the factors of authority as laid out by Max Weber. According to both Durkheim and Weber, religion is a unifying factor in any society. Weber sees religion as providing motivation for daily life. He believes that humanity requires something to give it purpose. For the American people, since the revolution, this has been Liberty. Liberty has been the motivation given in presidential speeches when discussing anything, be it war or economics or international relations. From George Washington to Donald Trump, liberty has been the backing and the source for every major political movement in the United States. In essence, the religion of liberty has always been a part of politics. Even when the American people called for the separation of Church and State, they did not ask that liberty be any less of a deciding factor. The removal of the mentality of separation of religiosity and politics could allow for the recognition of government officials as both rational legal and charismatic leaders. This means that those leaders who are already fulfilling the role of elected rule makers and religious advisors can be seen clearly as both and thus can be adequately judged. Once their role and influence in society is fully understood, the general populace can choose those who they believe fulfill the requirements of both legal and charismatic leaders. This will create a stronger sense of trust between officials and the people, and therefore, will promote a stronger society.
The pursuit of Liberty as the religious influence in society will create a social control that, according to Durkheim, should be able to unite values, culture and structure into social facts. Social facts “consist of manners of acting, thinking and feeling” outside of the individual, which “are invested with a coercive power that can exercise control over them” (Durkheim). This entails the elevation of Liberty’s values, such as harmony, tolerance and character, to become integral parts of society and therefore, the individual. Social fact is also what makes us react strongly to people who deviate from social attitudes. So, those who oppose these societal norms would be the oddity. The culture built off of that should be one of unity and acceptance as America has not seen since its birth. The fragile structure of American society will solidify under the banner of Liberty.
The focus of this paper was to reason why American culture is based on the ideas of Liberty as a religion and the understanding of what it means to find unity in this religious concept. Supported by the theories of Durkheim and Weber, one is capable of seeing how Liberty has been the religion of America since the early days of the Revolution. It has served as an integral part of American culture, even when society did not acknowledge it outright. However, Liberty can be pursued in a way that allows it to be used in its greatest capacity. In order to pursue the betterment of America, the citizens must focus on making decisions and electing officials, not based on individual religions such as Christianity, Islam or otherwise, but based on the promotion of Liberty. Only then, can America be a cohesive and united state, as has been desired since the founding of the nation.