US civil religion has all the qualities of a religion. I would argue that, for a very long time, there has been a well-institutionalized civil religion in the United States, alongside of and clearly differentiated from the established religious traditions like Christianity and Judaism.Īll religions are systems of beliefs and practices that help people answer their deeper questions about identity, life, and meaning. 'Religion and values in US society' has been my academic and research focus for the past thirty years. Today, of course, Christian nationalism is very much in the news. Others argue that, historically, the Deism of the founding fathers - and other religious traditions - have long inspired US Americans. Some have argued that Christianity is the national faith in the United States.
