Author: Sheila Marler
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Civil Religion: social model or spiritual detour?
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe concept of civil religion has been defined, studied, critiqued. Civil religion is a theory that posits a specific set of political ideas shared by all Americans. The ideas have nothing to do with God, but they are sacred because they work to forge a nation out of people who have nothing…
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American Cosmology and Mythology
Reading Time: 4 minutesReligious conservatives in America have argued that America was founded as a Christian nation, implying that Christianity ought to be honored in political discourse and policy. Others call this ‘Christian revisionism’ and argue that the founding fathers had no such intention.
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American Cosmology and Arlington National Cemetery
Reading Time: 4 minutesReligious conservatives in America have argued that America was founded as a Christian nation, implying that Christianity ought to be honored in political discourse and policy. Others call this ‘Christian revisionism’ and argue that the founding fathers had no such intention. It is difficult to find the ‘truth’ of the matter in…
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Enduring Principles in Religious Sacrifice
Reading Time: 5 minutesBack to Frederick Turner ’s essay, “The Mall as a Place of Pilgrimage” (The National Mall: rethinking Washington’s monumental core.” Ed. Nathan Glazer and Cynthia R. Field. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 2008). In this post, I want to focus on Turner’s mention of abortion and sacrifice. Both are important to…
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The Current Political Discourse: America’s future
Reading Time: 3 minutesOne sign of our times is the large number of books dealing with America’s political rhetoric. Perhaps the most surprising convergence of opinion concerns the nation’s spiritual life. Sociologist Wayne Baker presents evidence from the World Values Surveys to examine the culture war thesis, currently part of this rhetoric. But in his…
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Economic Collapse, Poverty, Revolution: Where does America go from here?
Reading Time: 2 minutesAmerica’s response to the situation in Egypt demonstrates some of the contradictions in American society. America was born in revolution, but since that time its leaders have discouraged revolution of any kind. Since the Revolutionary War Americans have mistrusted anyone claiming superior social standing; on the other hand many people used the…