(the variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to the twenty-first century; 

influence of religion on politics, economics, and society.)

 

AW, AS, MH

 

 

 

Intro

 

     Religion has clearly been a key factor in American History. By definition, religion is "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs." It was the issue that led to the original settlement of the colonies, and has since created tensions, caused wars, and indoubtably changed the course of history on many occasions.

 

 

 

Chapter 25- WWII 

 

1. Hitler and Religion

 

- Hitler's views directly persecuted the Jews; Nazism is well known for this outlook. He viewed the Jewish people as inferior by blood, not categorizing individuals by their religion or ethnicity in regards to country of origin, but by the terms "Aryan" and "non-Aryan."  Ideally, Nazis were to be of no religion; in a sense, Hitler was to be their G*d. In Hitler's ideal world, no religion was necessary.

 - The persecution of Jews showed extreme religious intolerance; essentially, intolerance is the root of the Holocaust, and the foundation of the Nazi party, as is relatively common knowledge.

 

 

 

2. Internment of Japanese Americans

 

 - "The continues pressure of a largely unassimilated, tightly knit racial group, bound to an enemy nation by strong ties to race, culture, custom, and religion, constituted a menace which had to be dealt with." (Nash 886-7)  This quote demonstrates that the religion of the Japanese American citizens was part of the reason they were found by the government to be a threat. This, ironically, is similar to Nazism in the sense that they are behaving in a prejudicial manner towards individuals whom they find reason to be considered a "threat" to their well-being, while we are fighting this intolerance in Europe.

 

 

 

 

This is an extremely good insight into the motives and propaganda of the US government in WWII

 

 

3. Religious Propaganda

 

- In Germany, anti-Semitic propaganda is proliferous. "Der Ewidge Jude," or "The Eternal Jew" was created, in which Jewish people are described as "rats," and tells the German people that Jews are attempting to covertly take control of the world, seizing it from the Aryan race. Directed by Fritz Hippler, its' creation was ordered by Joseph Goebbels. Addionally, Leni Riefenstahl directed "Triumph of the Will," which was direct propaganda supporting Hitler, and essentially praising him as a god sent to lead the Aryan people.

 

 

              

 

 

Here is an example of the propaganda used in Nazi Germany

Der Ewige Jude

 

Anti-Semitism- hostility towards or prejudice against Jews or Judaism

Nazism- the idealogy and practice of the Nazis, especially the policy of racist nationalism, national expansion, and state control of the economy

Propaganda- the systematic propagation of a doctrine or a cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such doctrine or cause (Free online dictionary)

 

Chapter 26- Postwar Growth and Social Change 

 

- Attendance In post-World War II America, people uncovered a shared religious sense, and church attendance reached record numbers.  It nearly doubled between 1945 and 1970. This led to 95% of all Americans identifying themselves with a particular religious denomination in the 1950s.

 

- Cold War's effect upon attendance Americans felt that attending church directly protested against the "godless" ideals of communism; by showing they believed in a God and a religion, they were indirectly stating their opposition to the USSR at the height of the Cold War. It also provided a place to be sheltered from the real world for a time.

 

- Key religious leaders in the Cold War period

 

     - Billy Graham known as "a man with God's message for these crisis days," and was in the forefront of the anti-     Communist movement. Was a new evanglelist, and capitalized on the media in order to spread his message to a wide      audience in a short amount of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     - Billy James Hargis A clergyman from Texas.  Founded the Christian Crusade in 1947; he preached about the      connection that religion and politics have.

 

"Patriotism and Christianity are very close to each other.

It is impossible to be a true Christian and not be a true patriot."

- B.J. Hargis

 

He also held right-wing views on the JFK assassination, blaming it on the Communist conspiracy. His views on Communism in general are expressed in his 1964 book, The Far Left. He has published over 100 books, and died on 24 November, 2004.

 

- Other Reasons for Resurgence- Ecumenical Activities

 

     - Catholicism's accessibility- Pope John XXIII convened the Vatican Ecumenical Council in order to reform the      church, making Catholocism's values more easy to adhere to. Examples of these efforts to modernize Catholocism      were the push to change to modern language from Latin, and making it more accessible to the laity.

 

     - Judaism shifts- Second and third generation Jews became affluent, and 1/3 of all Jews left cities for suburbs.  New      synagogues were built in the suburbs, and began to choose to be Reform or Conservative Jews, rather than the more      strict Orthodox Judaism. 

 

The Power of Religion

 

-  Family- Religion not only promoted a strong family-based community, but promoted religion as a major part of family      interaction, hence the phrase "The family that prays together stays together." Americans were working to meet the      standards of the ideal American family, and religion played a major role in the prototype created.  

 

- Politics- Nationally, people felt that the government required roots in religion.  In the eyes of the people, if the government did not have these ties, it was not true.  As a result, the words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Alliegance in 1954 by Congress, and "In God We Trust" was added to all US currency in 1955.

 

Please note: While Americans recognized religion, it was a shallow knowledge; they, as a whole, were not well educated on the so-called "finer points" of the Bible or other Books of the Word.

 

 

Ecumenical Activities- Worldwide efforts on the part of different Christian churches

Laity- members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy

 

Chapter 27- Chills and Fever During the Cold War 

 

1. Communist Ideals

     - In communism, religion is disregarded, and a focus upon secularism is key.  

 

2. Six Days War

     -On June 5, 1967 the Israeli air force launched raids against the Egyptian troops whom had recently reoccupied the Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptians also announced it would close Israel's access to the Red Sea through the Gulf of Aqaba, clearly causing further tension.

 

 

     -Israeli forces struck. In less than a week they first destroyed the Egyptian forces in the Sinai, then drove the military of Jordan from the west bank of the Jordan River, and finally defeated the forces of Syria. In the process, the Old City of Jerusalem was seized and annexed by Israel, a major religious feat.

 

 

 

 

3. Buddhists in Vietnam

     - Buddhist priests in Vietnam so vehemently opposed the war that they set themselves afire on the streets in protest.  It was referred to in the press as "a ritual suicide."  It occurred seven times in South Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 28 :  High Water and Ebb Tide of the Liberal State

 

 

 

• President Kennedy was faced with many questions regarding schooling, bringing up the question of religion within schools in addition to religion itself.  He convinced the people that he would not let his personal religion to influence his actions, and he also opposed the assistance and advancement of parochial schools.

 

 

• Much pressure from the Catholics was being placed on Kennedy, and he realized that he might have to change his decision in order to pass this.  The House Rules Committee later proved the school aid measure to be useless, though, because a compromise simply couldn’t be reached.
• He did not believe that there should be one definite religion for the world, but that people should be able to practice what they wish.

 

 

 

• Kennedy had reached a complete defeat when Catholics insist on helping out with parochial schools, but Johnson dealt differently.

 

 

• Johnson was Protestant so could deal with the issue without charges of favoritism.

 

 

• This later brings up the question of whether religion should be practiced at all in schools.  Is it fair to deprive people of their religion in schooling, or can it be called just because school and church are two completely separate institutions?

 

• The Protestant & Catholic controversy has been around for many years, and other religious conflicts occur such as the problems between religious conservatives and liberals.

  

 

• The Supreme Court completely outraged conservatives by ruling that prayer could not be required in public schools, and this brought about many difficulties.

 

 

• JFK overcame huge odds to become the first Catholic in the White House, but it was a very thin victory.  He had Democratic majorities in Congress but many members of party came from South, who were less sympathetic to liberal causes.

 

     

 

• This is similar to the 2009 election in the fact that JFK was the first Catholic in the White House, where Barack Obama became the first African American president; this simply goes to show that despite the challenges for change within our country, we have been able to surpass many difficulties and allow certain changes to occur.

 

Terms

 

• parochial school-a private religious school run by a church or parish
• liberal- a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties
• religious conservative- apply the teachings of particular theories to politics, expressing their values and sometimes yearning to change law

 

IDs

 

• JFK
• Johnson

 

 

Chapter 29- The Struggle for Social Reform

 

Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.- A Baptist minister who became the preeminent spokesman of protests for African      American civil rights. He was regarded as an outstanding public speaker, and is renound as one of the most influential      people in American history. He was assassinated in 1968.

 

 

Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech

 

SCLC- The SCLC, or Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was an organization of southern black clergy. It was formed on the 10 January 1957; its' main goal was to end all forms of segregation, although it initially was formed in regards to the success of the Montogmery Bus Boycott of 1957, and began with the intention of desegregating buses alone. Martin Luther King, Jr. was its President.

 

Gay and Lesbian Rights in regards to religion- In the 1960s, Gays and Lesbians were encouraged to "come out of the closet." However, religious groups still did not accepts being gay as normal or acceptable in society.

 

 

Chapter 30- The Revival of Conservatism

 

1.  The Moral Majority

 

- These activists believed that society should be transformed by reaffirming the morals dictated in the Bible; thus, religion would come to the forefront of American society. These evangical political lobbyists strongly believed that abortion should be outlawed, as should state recognition and acceptance of homosexual acts, "traditional family" should be valued above all else, and that strict censorship should be enforced against non-family friendly media. Additionally, the Moral Majority believed in reinstituting school prayer and defeating the Equal Rights Amendment.  In order to maintain their political recognition as an important group in Congress, they funded politicians who agreed with their views, and supported them on Capital Hill.  They also tended to be Republican, although some Democratic adherents were present. The leader of this conservative evangical movement is the Reverend Jerry Falwell, who hails from Virginia.  He promoted appealing to audiences and using electronic means to preach to mass audiences.

 

Reverend Jerry Fallwell

 

2. The Christian Coalition

 

- This group became even more powerful than the Moral Majority, and had more political clout than their predecessor. They share the same beliefs and also the same means of gaining recognition as the Moral Majority.

 

The Christian Coalition

 

Conservatism:  a political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institiutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order (Free Online Dictionary)

Equal Rights Amendment- a proposed constitutional Amendment intended to eliminate sex as a basis for any decisions made by any state in the US (West's Encyclopedia of American Law)