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Why is US one of the most religious nations than other industrialized nations?
- Creation Myth: Us views itself as being distinct form the rest of the world, having a deep relationship with God ("City on a Hill"
- Civil Religion: We are constantly bombarded with religious imagery within the public and political scene.
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Why are there so many religions in USA
- "Free market for religion", never had its own formal state religion
- Several "Great Awakenings"
- Rise of "Fundamentalism" and Pentecostalism in response to scientific skepticism among the mass society as well as elite mainline protestant denominations
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What are key features of fundamentalists and how do they affect a fundamentalist's role in politics?
- Premillenialist view of the world: the belief that the Bible is the literal Word of God. The world is only going to get worst to the point of no return. Cynical view.
- Dispensationalism: belief that God dealt with people through different eras and we currently live in the last covenant.
- Separatism: tendency to avoid mainline protestants, other non fundamentalists and the secular world. *note that this occurred in waves over the course of history
- Scopes Trial: Fundamentalist leader was humiliated, thus humiliating the entire fundamentalist sect
- Great Reversal: pulled away from society/politics until Roe v Wade
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How does the 1st amendment state religion?
"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
- Establishment Clause: "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion
- Free Exercise Clause: "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
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what are the two ways of looking at the Establishment Clause?
- Accomodationist: believes that Congress cannot create a national religion, but can be involved - giving them the power to prefer one religion over another
- Separationist: believes in strict separation of Church & State. In Fed. 10, it lists religion as a faction (dangerous). Thus any gov't enforcement of religion violates the establishment clause
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What are two ways of looking at the Free Exercise Clause?
- Libertarians (not the same as the political party): any religious expression is ok as long as there is no harm. Mill approach
- Communitarians: religious freedoms can be limited by community norms.
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How does the Free Exercise clause and the Establishment clause relate to preferentialists and nonpreferentialists
- preferentialists: those who want gov't to prefer a certain religion
- nonpreferentialist: those who think that all religious groups have an equal place in the public sphere
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