Ethnic civil religion: a case study of immigrants from Rumania in Israel.
Sociology of Religion › Vol. 57 Nbr. 2, June 1996
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Ethnic civil religion: a case study of immigrants from Rumania in Israel.
The concept of civil religion (Bellah 1967; Wilson 1979; Bellah and Hammond 1980; Hughey 1983; Kapferer 1988) incorporates several characteristics of traditional religion: It offers a meaning system comprising symbols, beliefs, myths, values, practices, and rituals; and it evokes the involvement of its adherents by imposing obligations. Nonetheless, there is an important difference between the two: At the core of the civil religion stands a corporate entity rather than a transcendent power (Liebman and Don-Yehiya 1983a:4; Ungar 1991: 516). Thus, the purpose of civil religion is to sanctify modern pluralistic states - which are characterized by increased differentiation and the separation of religious institutions from significant economic, political, and cultural ones - by supplying some common goals and visions to their citizens (Bellah 1981; Liebman and Don-Yehiya 1982:58). In order to attain this objective, civil religion functions in three directions: it integrates the society by involving members in a common past and destiny, usually expressed in ceremonies and myths; it legitimates the social order, as well as the common societal goals; and it mobilizes society's members to assume common tasks and responsibilities (Liebman and Don-Yehiya 1983a:5).
As the values and symbols of civil religion represent the goals and interests of modern states, and accommodate the beliefs and behavioral patterns of their nonreligious populations, they may conflict with traditional religion. In an attempt to reduce this tension, civil religion tends to reformulate traditional symbols by employing such strategies as confrontation, dissolution, and reinterpretation (Liebman & Don-Yehiya 1983a:19-21; Wuthnow 1988). Most studies are concerned with civil religion in the broad context of the nation-state. However, recent trends in Western society suggest that the potency of national civil religions is on the decline. Civil religions are undermined by the division of society into numerous interest groups (based on occupation, class, race, religion, ethnic origin, or ideology) that share few collective purposes and common visions, as well as by the increased concern with self and the belief that ultimate meanings can only be found in one's private emotional life (Berger 1979; Markoff and Regan 1981; Liebman and Don-Yehiya 1983a:229-30; Williams and Demerath 1991:418). This rise in pluralistic and individualistic tendencies has been accompanied by a proliferation of immigrant and ethnic associations. Such organizations serve both as an expressive support mechanism, facilitating psychological, social, and cultural adaptation to the new environment, and as a powerful means of gaini...See the full content of this document
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