The president is the high priest of what sociologist Robert Bellah calls the 'American civil religion.' The president must invoke the name of God (though not Jesus), glorify America's heroes and history,quote its sacred texts (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution), and perform the transubstantiation of pluribus unum.

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About Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt was a contemporary American social psychologist. Jonathan David Haidt is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the New York University Stern School of Business. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Politics — Governance, civic duty, and the structures of power
  • Religion — Exploring belief systems, worship, and spiritual practice

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