American civil religion

noun

An interpretation of the United States' Christian-derived values and nationalist attitudes as a monotheistic nonsectarian civil religion that fosters social and cultural integration.

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Meanings

nounAmerican civil religion (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesAn interpretation of the United States' Christian-derived values and nationalist attitudes as a monotheistic nonsectarian civil religion that fosters social and cultural integration.

Origin

The concept goes back to the 19th century, but was popularized in its current form by sociologist Robert Bellah in his 1967 article "Civil Religion in America".

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Cite this entry
APA

American civil religion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/American%20civil%20religion

MLA

“American civil religion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/American%20civil%20religion. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “American civil religion,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/American%20civil%20religion.

Source: American civil religion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.