“Americans are overly religious.” Really? Going to the bottom of stereotypes and prejudices by contrasting the religious landscape of the United States with that of Germany. Which country is more conservative, which ranks the significance of religion higher?

 

The fact that the impact of religion on our daily lives has decreased, is fairly obvious in most developed countries. This is also the case in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, the numbers of American church members have declined and it is often claimed that younger generations tend to be more liberal concerning religion than their ancestors. 

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In the opinion of Roof and Caron from the Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, the decrease of the value of religion in the USA can be traced back to several causes. One prominent reason is the terror attacks of 9/11. People feel that these terrible events revealed the destructiveness of religions when sacred texts are interpreted literally and taken too seriously just as the Islamist group al-Qaeda did.  Such fundamentalism eventually led to a rise in the number of religious “nones”. Some strict believers even called the government to account for tolerating non-Christians and therefore enabling terrorist attacks. Various other interesting historical facts and figures as for instance a full timeline of significant events and personalities in terms of American religion can be found on the website of the Association of Religion Data Archives Arda .

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A further point Roof and Caron mention is that roughly two thirds (65%) of Americans feel that the impact of religion on the public is declining. Nevertheless, 62% still think that the significance of religion for their personal life is becoming deeper. They call that “a turn inwards” which indicates a certain individualism.

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Thus, religion today is not as important as it once was. This phenomenon shows not only in the United States but in many regions of the world. But does that mean, the stereotype of Americans being more religious than others is really just a prejudice? Let us have a closer look at religions and their values and influences in and on the United States of America and a comparably developed country, namely Germany. 

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A major similarity between the USA and Western countries, especially Germany, is the religious composition of the population. Most of the people are still Christians but since both countries include religious freedom in their political constitution, globalization, immigration and intermarriages have caused the establishment of a wide range of other denominations and sects. Besides, in 2018 the two nations determined about a quarter of their population as unaffiliated. As America is often called a melting pot due to its multitude of different ethnicities and people from different backgrounds, religious pluralism even enhances the diversity of the country. As stated by the Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, no other nation has originated as many religious minorities as the USA. From larger world denominations such as Islamism to satirical sects like The Flying Spaghetti Monster (also called Pastafarianism), there is basically a religious group for everything you could imagine.  For an overview on the religious makeup in the United States, see this. 

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However, surveys by the Pew Research Center show that there are major differences in terms of how committed people are to the beliefs of their denominations. This starts with the religious unaffiliated which is (at least in the US) definitely not a synonym of irreligious. 27% of these people in America still say that they believe in God whereas only 1% of unaffiliated Germans do so. So, there is a clear distinction between belonging to any denomination and actually believing in God. And here lies a big difference between the United States of America and basically every other developed nation: the Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen found out that roughly 90% of Americans believe in God and as stated by political science professor Robert Fowler, data shows that almost 70% are “absolutely certain” that there is a God. In contrast, only 55% of Germans believe in God. This difference may be the reason for one more result found by the Pew Research Center, namely that approximately 55% of Americans but only 9% of Germans pray on a daily basis by their own account. A closer look at one impact religion has in the USA can be found here. 

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Moreover, sociologist Robert Bellah introduced the term

“civil religion” in 1967 and what he meant with that was

quite a number of widely shared beliefs. For instance,

the United States of America have a strong community

feeling because of their patriotism and the faith in their

military and economic power in the world. Other common

beliefs or traditions are for example the confidence that

everything is possible if you work hard enough for it or

the celebration of July 4 and Thanksgiving. Ideas such as

those unite the nation and give Americans a feeling of

belonging. There are also many religious symbols that are

considered typically American, as for example the pledge

of allegiance to the flag during public events and in schools

(“One nation under God”) or the inscription of “In God we Trust”

on US dollars. 

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In comparison, there is indeed the Day of German Unity but it is not in the slightest celebrated similar to the 4th July in the USA. We also do not mention God in our national anthem or have a “German Dream”.

 

The most crucial differences between America and Germany regarding the separation of politics and religion are as follows: 

 

1. Although both countries separate church and state, most official holidays in Germany are of religious decent.

2. American people attend church services regularly, whereas a lot of big cathedrals in Germany serve mainly as tourist attractions (e.g. Kölner Dom).

3. American churches have to fund themselves through contributions made by their own members. The government does not support churches financially. In Germany, Catholic and Lutheran churches are funded by the government through church taxes payed by the Christian citizens. Every Christian has to pay these taxes unless they officially leave the church. 

4. American politicians who publicly identify as atheists have disadvantages among politicians who don’t. The following chart shows that in 2014 around 53% of Americans said they would less likely want to vote for an atheist to become their president. Germany on the other hand is rather neutral towards religions and its practitioners, which is why there are no disadvantages for non-believers.

                                       

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Figure 1: Poll asking Americans who they were willing to vote for in percentage (PEW Research Center, 2014)

 

In general, although the religious significance in the US and other countries is decreasing, we can nevertheless say that religion and faith are highly present in America’s everyday life. This can also be seen in American political rhetoric, which is infused with religious symbols and references. According to Brown and Wald (2011), the constant use of this religious rhetoric may imply the existence of a civil religion in the USA: 

“The nation is recognized as a secular institution, yet one that is somehow touched by the hand of God” (p.52)

 

Although the findings of scientific research were not entirely consistent, they did in fact detect something like a civil religion. Having been mentioned earlier, this religion does not compete with any other denomination nor does it hold any specific rules or beliefs one can read about in a document. Citizens are also not obliged to approve of it. It is much more seen as a code that all citizens of the nation, regardless of their religion, subscribe to. It gives the people a sense of belonging together as a community of people that differ from other nations and cultures. Within this civil religion all different faiths can come together and harmonize their religious and political beliefs. 

 

But why do they call themselves a nation under God?

It sounds indeed a bit paradox that the Americans call themselves “a nation under God” considering that the founding fathers of the United States decided to strictly separate church and state from each other. The phrase “one nation under God” was in fact only added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954 under the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was also him, who declared the phrase “in God we trust” as the nation’s motto in 1956. One year later the phrase was also printed onto paper money.

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An idea behind the invention of the United States of America as a nation controlled by God, might have been the intention of citizens doing something for a higher purpose, that warrants their allegiance not only for their self-interest.

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There are also standards to the civil religion, which protect it from degenerating into religious nationalism. These standards are for example the permission to criticize a nation if it departures from moral codes. The citizens want to keep the nation on a righteous path, not to suffer from Gods punishment. 

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Martin Luther King Jr. who was a Baptist minister as well as an activist and the most important spokesperson during the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1968 held a sermon at the United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stating that everything man-made can be flawed and should be critically reflected on, as well as changed if it is controverse to God’s word. He read a fictional letter “from the Apostel Paul to American Christians” that he wrote to admonish American Christians to challenge racial segregation. You can read the whole letter here. 

 

An important extract says:

“[…] You have a dual citizenry. You live both in time and eternity; both in heaven and earth. Therefore, your ultimate allegiance is not to the government, not to the state, not to nation, not to any man-made institution. The Christian owes his ultimate allegiance to God, and if any earthly institution conflicts with God's will it is your Christian duty to take a stand against it. You must never allow the transitory evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God. […]”.

Martin Luther King Jr. tried to appeal to the people’s conscience that they have to do something against the racial segregation because it conflicts God’s will. 

 

Taking a closer look at religion in today’s politics, one could think that because of the separation of state and religion, politicians would not expose themselves as a member of a certain religious denomination. This may well be due to the fear of losing the votes of citizens belonging to another denomination or people not agreeing with a certain detail of a candidate’s religious beliefs e.g., the catholic opposition on any sort of abortion. Contrary to this believe, the presidents of the United States used and still use verses of the bible as reference for their statements as well as other religious rhetoric to connect themselves with the citizens. 

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. mentioned God and religion during his inaugural address on January 20, 2021. He also quoted the bible: “[…] as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. […]”, called upon the Americans to have a silent prayer together for the victims of the pandemic and ended his speech with a sacred oath.

 

President Obama’s inaugural address also mentioned God several times: “[…] while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth[…]. And so did Donald Trumps’ address in 2017: […] The Bible tells us, how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity […] And most importantly, we will be protected by God.”

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Comparing these speeches of American Presidents to chancellor Angela Markel’s first speech to the German citizens after her inauguration in 2005, we won’t find any religious rhetoric. It is a tradition for chancellors in Germany to inform the citizens on the government’s new plans for the country, which Dr. Merkel did as well. However, she did not once mention God, although she is part of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). This might possibly be because Germany also separates politics and religion. In contrast to the United States, Germany does not have anything similar to a civil religion in order to create a sense of belonging together as one nation. A further look at the differing political discourse in Germany and the USA can be found here.

           

To capture the initial question of which country might rank religion higher, the answer is clear! The United States definitely rank religion higher than Germany. Not only do Americans attend church services more often and pray much more regularly than Germans, also 35% more Americans actually believe in God. This shows that calling a political party Christian, does not intend religious rhetoric to be used within their speeches or the people belonging to that party to be very religious. America on the other hand uses civil religion as well as religious rhetoric to create a sense of unification among all citizens regardless of their religious denominations and beliefs.

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Sources:

 

Biden, Joseph R. “Inaugural Address by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.” The White House, The United States Government, 21 Jan. 2021, www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/20/inaugural-address-by-president-joseph-r-biden-jr/. Accessed 23 January 2021 

 

Bromhead, Peter. Life in Modern America. Berlin, Langenscheidt-Longman, 1970, pp.183-193.

 

Chernus, Ira. “Civil Religion.” The Blackwell Companion to Religion in America, edited by Philip Goff, Blackwell Publishing, 2010, pp.57-70.

 

Conway, Madeline, Eli Stolkos and Louis Nelson. “Full Text: 2017 Donald Trump Inauguration Speech Transcript.” POLITICO, 20 Jan. 2017, www.politico.com/story/2017/01/full-text-donald-trump-inauguration-speech-transcript-233907. Accessed 7 January 2021

 

Davis Derek. “Church and State.” The Blackwell Companion to Religion in America, edited by Philip Goff, Blackwell Publishing, 2010, pp.42-56.

 

Duncan, Russel and Joseph Goddard. Contemporary United States. 5th ed., palgrave, 2018, pp. 172-185.

 

Evans, Jonathan. “U.S. adults are more religious than Western Europeans.”Pew Research Center, 5 Sep 2018,

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/05/u-s-adults-are-more-religious-than-western-europeans/. Accessed 30 Nov 2020.

 

Fahmy, Dalia. “Americans Are Far More Religious than Adults in Other Wealthy Nations.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/31/americans-are-far-more-religious-than-adults-in-other-wealthy-nations/ Accessed 5 Dec 2020.

 

Fowler, Robert Booth et al. Religion and Politics in America - Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices. 4th ed., Westview Press, 2010.

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“‘Glauben Sie an Gott?‘ Das ist die Frage.“ Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland, 18 Nov 2019,  https://fowid.de/meldung/glauben-sie-gott-frage. Accessed 22 Jan 2021.

 

“Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 21 Jan. 2013, 11:55 A.M  EST, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama. Accessed 7 January 2021

 

Lipka, Michael. “10 Facts about Religion in America.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 27 Jul 2020,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/27/10-facts-about-religion-in-america/ Accessed 5 Dec 2020.

 

Mauk, David and John Oakland. American Civilization – An introduction. 5th ed., Routledge, 2009, pp.325-346.

 

Merkel, Angela. “Rede Von Bundeskanzlerin Dr. Angela Merkel.” Bundesregierung.de, 24 Dec. 2005, www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/service/bulletin/rede-von-bundeskanzlerin-dr-angela-merkel-795268. Accessed 7 January 2021

 

“Paul's Letter to American Christians.” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, 9 July 2014, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/publications/knock-midnight-inspiration-great-sermons-reverend-martin-luther-king-jr-1. Accessed 9 January 2021

 

“Religion in den USA: 1992-2018.” Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland, 21 May 2019, https://fowid.de/meldung/religion-den-usa-1992-2018. Accessed 30 Nov 2020.

 

Roof, Wade Clark and Nathalie Caron. “Shifting boundaries: religion and the United States: 1960 to the present.” The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, edited by Christopher Bigsby, Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp.113-134.

 

Thompson, Derek. “Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 7 Oct. 2019,

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/ Accessed 5 Dec 2020.

 

Viala-Gaudefroy, Jérôme. “How strong a role does religion play in US elections?” theconversation.com, 18 Mar 2020

https://theconversation.com/how-strong-a-role-does-religion-play-in-us-elections-133224. Accessed 30 Nov 2020.

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Wald, Kenneth D., and Allison Calhoun-Brown. Religion and Politics in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.

 

Williams, Peter W. “Religion in the United States in the twentieth century 1900-1960.” The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, edited by Christopher Bigsby, Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp.96-112.