Godless Patriots: Towards a New American Civil Religion.

In 1967 Robert Bellah noted that while his definition of American civil religion entailed an abstract and diffuse notion of God, some notion of God remained essential to the concept. Bellah therefore questioned whether non-theists could reside comfortably amid the sacred language and symbolism of American civil religion. This paper examines the difficulties of developing an iteration of American civil religion that represents the varied beliefs and practices of non-theists without betraying its essential function. I will argue that such a project requires a fuller understanding of the 'religious' life of non-theists-as described by George Santayana and John Dewey-as well as a reevaluation of the primary purposes of American civil religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]