Christian Religion, Society and the State in the modern World

Journal of Social Science Research
Christian Religion, Society and the State in the modern World
by Franz Ho¨ llinger, Max Haller and Adriana Valle-Ho¨ llinger

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Group
Date:06/2007

Chapter tile: Denominational Societies the Example of the United States of America
Page: 147

"The importance of religion in the United States can be traced back to the very beginnings of the formation of the modern state. The first waves of immigrants were strongly convicted members of religious denominations that were persecuted in their county of origin by the state churches. Freedom of religion was established in the first constitution of the new state. Religion was strictly separated from government and state authorities, but at the same time it continued to play an important role in public and private life (Bellah, 1975, 1992; Mu¨ nch, 1986; Riesebrodt, 1990). The formation of ethnically based religious communities helped to maintain cultural traditions. At the same time, religious communities became an important source for second- and third-generation immigrants to build up and sustain a new group identity (Herberg, 1956). Much more than in Europe, religious communities in the United States are also places for social and cultural activities. According to data from ISSP-1991, one-third of Americans participate in nonreligions activities of their religious community."

The quote above is relevant to my chosen cultural text not in a direct way but it refers an important historical fact. People seem to ignore the lack of logic in main religions, in my opinion, because of how deeply ingrained it is on our culture. Plus the sheer number of believers that believe just because they were told (usually by their parents), without ever thinking on why or if they actually do. I've met so many people that once they speak about their beliefs for a while they see how it lacks logic and how irrelevant it is on modern day society, how little it explains and how much it distorts. Now, don't get me wrong, I respect religious people, I don't have any problem with faith at all. My main concerns lie with religious institutions, the ones the thrive on the money of believers for the personal gain of the very few who control them. To quote my chosen text "He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money!".