Religio and American Civil Religion
With this essay we propose a reassessment of American civil religion developed by Robert N. Bellah. The recent Religious Right’s political activism has somewhat changed the landscape of American civil religion, inaugurating a state of religious and political exceptionalism, shattering the idea of a cultural and political inclusiveness inherent in civil religion. As a result of the changes, a reevaluation was deemed appropriate. To do so we examine Roman religio as a case study of civil religion.
President Obama Inaugural Speech and American Civil Religion
This essay is a follow-up to “Religio and American Civil Religion” in response to President Obama’s inaugural speech. The contents will reveal a continuity with traditional themes delivered by past Presidents. The speech also includes some departures that show a novel development in respect to typical tenets of American civil religion.
Batman: The Masks of the Gods
An alternative view of this popular American super-hero. The mask is the device of choice to conceal an identity. The question is, what ideology lies behind this identity? A critical analysis of how mythology masks ideology.
Spiderman: A Mythical American II
A blue collar teenager who turns into a genetically modified super-hero when challenged by a villain. Spiderman is American mythology at its best. Revealing the dual nature of a hero’s character as the result of the medium’s super-natural creative powers.
Superman: A Mythical American
When I first introduced the idea that Superman was a mythical hero in 1992, the notion came as a surprise to many. Over time it became acceptable to most. Today we can safely say that mythology plays a similar role in American culture and ideology that it did in ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome.