Patterns of Religious Affiliation

M1 Discussion on Patterns of Religious Affiliation

President Barack Obama places his hand over his heart during a swearing in of active duty service members at a naturalization ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, April 23, 2010.
(AP Photo/J. David Ake)

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden listens to Tzipi Livni, not seen, Israel’s parliamentary opposition leader and chair of the Kadima Party, during their meeting in Jerusalem, March 9, 2010.
(AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)

Before we can begin to analyze the relationships between politics and religion in the United States, we must first explore what we mean by “religious affiliation,” and also have a foundational understanding of the existing patterns in the United States.

Since this is our first discussion, please be mindful of some ground rules. First and foremost, come to these discussions with an open mind, as we are objectively analyzing the role and relationships of religion and politics, which are both deeply personal. Second, be careful to ground your statements and assumptions in fact, data and research. Third, avoid statement that could be interpreted as value judgments and could be offensive to others’ beliefs. Finally, if you’re not sure, just don’t say it.

The Pew Research Center studies religion and public life in the United States. This center is a leading source of research on this topic, and it is recommended that you become familiar with the resources offered.

Visit the Religious Landscape Study and peruse the information. You will note that the headline for the report is, “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.” As you are looking through the data, note your observations about the following:

Were you surprised about the patterns of affiliation?
What trends did you notice about gender, geography, age or other factors?
What factors do you think account for the decline in the Christian share of the U.S. population?
NOTE: Post an initial response to the question(s) above, then reply to at least two different peers over the course of the module. Remember, in order for class discussions to be meaningful, you must participate regularly and consistently.Readings:

M1 Overview & Article Links
Text book: Ch 1 & 2 Religon and politics in US Kenneth D. Wald Allison Calhoun-Brown seveth edtion
M1 Content Guides:
Religion & the Political Landscape and Course Overview
The Secularization Debate
Quotes on Religion from Political Figures
ARTICLES:
Social Change and Religion in America: Thinking Beyond Secularization
The Secularization Thesis
News: CNN Belief Blog
Please use above text book for reference and other sources you find.

Background:

M1 Overview & Article Links
Conceptualizing Religion and Politics in America

Sen. Edward Kennedy and Cardinal John Krol pose for photographers outside the Cardinal’s home April 4, 1980 in Philadelphia. Kennedy made a courtesy visit to Krol during a campaign swing through Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Puskar)
This module establishes a framework for studying the relationship between religion and politics by examining the pluralistic, current religious landscape in the United States and the political dimensions. We examine the what, who, why and how of religion in politics, and explore the major players, the salient issues, and the theories that explain religion in the context of the modern world. You will be encouraged to reflect on the subtle and explicit ways that religion influences political life, and the various aspects of that influence, including public opinion, political theory, political process, and current issue politics.

Module Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:

Discuss the role of religion in individual and public life from the perspectives of secularization and modernization theories.
Identify legitimate sources of religious trend data, and analyze patterns of religious affiliation in the United States.
Assess the impact of secularization on modern religious character and behavior.
Identify hallmarks of the scope and depth of religious influences in social and political life.
Describe the religious influences within the historical context of the Founding.
Learning Activities
Required Readings:
Text: Wald and Calhoun:
Chapter 1: A Secular Society?
Chapter 2: Religion in the American Context
M1 Content Guides:
Religion and the Political Landscape and Course Overview
The Secularization Debate
Chapter 1 from Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide by Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart
Articles
Harper, L. & Lebeau, B. (n.d.) Social change and Religion in America: Thinking Beyond Secularization.
Horton, M.S. (2013). The Secularization ThesisSecularizing Religion (22)5, p. 26-41
News
CNN Belief Blog
M1 Discussions:
Icebreaker Discussion
Patterns of Religious Affiliation
M1 Assignment
Timeline of Religion & Politics
Due Dates
Due dates are listed in the Course Schedule.

M1 #1: Religion & the Political Landscape and Course Overview

The American flag flies behind a statue of the Biblical figure Joseph downtown Dothan, Ala., Aug. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush flank Pope Benedict XVI as he waves to the crowd from the balcony of the White House in Washington, April 16, 2008, during an arrival ceremony. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Israeli soldiers welcome Jewish immigrants from North America upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International airport, Tel Aviv, Israel Sept. 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Gil Cohen Magen, Pool)

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama laughs while delivering his speech to Tibetan students in Bangalore, India, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
This course will examine the complicated relationship between politics and religion in the United States from historical and a contemporary perspectives. Religion and politics are everywhere. Wherever you look, in everything you read or any issue you debate, people are engaging overt or subtle tenors that tie back to religion.

Despite the concept of “separation” of Church and State, religion has become what many would call a “driving force” in American politics. As evidence of religion’s force in politics, we can look to recent and current political life – namely, the issues of same sex marriage, stem cell research, abortion, and mobilization of voters in elections, over the last several decades. The moral and personal foundations of positions on these issues are rooted in religious ideology. American politics is dominated by Christian influence; however, as we will explore in this course, there are many other religious ideologies that permeate the issue debates.

The aim of this course is to give you an appreciation for the politics of religion in the United States and to help you develop the fluency to interpret the dynamics of religion as it interplays with public policy, electoral politics, and even foreign policy. Thus, the first task in this module and in this course will be to build a framework within which we can understand the role of religion in individual and public life, and then analyze the role of religion in American’s lives.

This course consists of seven modules, designed to walk you through the key tenets of developing an understanding of religion and politics in the United States.

Module 1 is an introduction to the study of politics and religion. This module will provide an overview and a framework for the course. You will consider the historical theories of religion in society (such as that of Marx), as well as explore the basic patterns of religious affiliation in the Unites States. An important part of Module 1 is exploring what is commonly referred to as the “Secularization Debate.” This is essentially a debate, begun by early thinkers such as Marx, Durkheim, Weber and others, which postulates that religion will lose its cultural, social, and political importance over time. This would happen for a variety of reasons, including the rise of science and rationality, the decentralization and societies, and the diffusion of knowledge. But, has it happened? As we explore the debate in Module 1 and in this class, we will see that the quantitative evidence of religious decline isn’t quite what these theorists have predicted.

In Module 2, we will look specifically at historical perspectives. What role did religion play in the Founding? How did the Founding Fathers think of religion and what role did they intend for religion to have in governance? Module 3 will turn our attention to action. In Modules 1 and 2, we explored the historical frameworks for religion and politics, but now we fast forward to the late 1990s and 2000s. What we see and observe in electoral and issue politics suggests that religion is a formidable force. How does this happen?

In Module 3, we will explore how voters are mobilized through religious and political channels. Module 4 we will continue to explore the topics of Module 3 and how religion is manifested in policymaking, public opinion, and political processes. In addition, we will examine how religious politics in the United States frames and impacts attitudes, actions, and positions regarding foreign policy. For example, we will specifically look at how religious politics in the United States impacts U.S. policy toward ISIS in the Middle East.

In Module 5, we will make an in-depth study of what is perhaps the most intriguing example of religious mobilization in the United States – that of the “Religious Right.” We will examine the Religious Right as a case study, and mainly look at the strategies and tactics that the Religious Right has used over time in order to mobilize voters. Module 6 will provide an overview of how other groups in the United States have mobilized for action. Those other groups include Jews, Catholics, Muslims and other minority social groups, such as gays and women, where the key issues have been intertwined with religious dogma.

Finally, in Module 7, we will reflect carefully on what should be the proper role of religion in politics.
M1 #2: The Secularization Debate

Karl Marx, date unknown.
(AP Photo/Kurt Strumpf)

Austrian born psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, September 09, 1939. (AP-PHOTO)
Interestingly, many thinkers of the 19th and 20thCenturies thought that religion would either disappear or become trivial in human life. This “secularization thesis” was espoused by Marx, Freud, Weber and Durkheim especially – they viewed secularization not only as a theory, but as a naturally occurring historical process as the world becomes more and more modernized. This thinking, essentially states that as societies modernize, religion will diminish.

In addition to your scheduled readings, also read Chapter 1 from Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide by Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Cambridge University Press, 2004. This reading will give you a foundational background on the thinking behind the secularization debate.

But, not everyone agrees with the secularization these. And, as we look to political events and trends over the years, it doesn’t seem that American society has become more secular.Religion appears to be alive and strong in America.

The Pew Research Center regularly conducts research on religion in political life. According to the most recent research, the Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.

The following table depicts the changes that are occurring:

See the full report, published May 15, 2015 “America’s Changing Landscape.”