Read or listen to, Can America's Civil Religion Still Unite the Country? Links to an external site.and answer the following questions.
Your answers should be double-spaced. There is no minimum requirement for each answer, but your entire assignment should be at least a page and half. As before the questions should be pasted above your answers.
I want you to really think about your answers!
- Robert Bellah argues that ‘civil religion’ is defined as,’ a collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity.’ In your own words, what do you think this means?
- In the article Shadi Hamid argues, "It is difficult to become German. It is difficult to become Swedish, because those identities are not ideas. Becoming American means you believe in the American idea, and at least in theory, that's open to any immigrant who's able to come here." What do you think about this argument? Do you agree or disagree and why?
- Can the idea of a ‘civil religion’ as it is described in the article, the collection of beliefs and principles, bring our country ‘together’? Can Americans rally around the idea of America? Why or why not?
Sample Solution