"And No One Will Keep That Light from Shining": Civil Religion after September 11 in the Speeches of George W. Bush

Abstract

Nearly ten years after September 11, 2001, in an effort to focus in sharp relief the events following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the failed attempt aimed at the White House, Nicole Janz examines then President George W. Bush's endeavor to pull the nation together under the banner of civil religion. The title of the book is taken from one of those inspiring post-9/11 speeches. Originally a master's thesis at the Free University of Berlin, Janz's study points out that presidents throughout America's history have woven civil religion into their speeches, and Bush's rhetoric following 9/11 was nothing new or unique. He most certainly was not espousing some personal agenda based solely on his born-again Christianity in his speechifying as some political pundits and reporters at the time suggested. When populations are under siege, it becomes necessary for leaders to draw their people together to inspire unwavering unity in a common cause to vanquish the enemy and restore order and security. “God talk” is a powerful motivator. Civil religion often involves ritualistic expressions of patriotism, most often given credibility by leaders within a society by the invocation of God in political speeches and addresses to Congress, reverence for patriotic holidays such as America's Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or the eulogizing of a national tragedy, such as President Ronald Reagan's speech following the space shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986.