Civil Religion Bush Aug09

CIVIL RELIGION AND BUSH 1

Running Head: CIVIL RELIGION AND BUSH

Civil Religion and the Discourse of George W. Bush

and Osama bin Laden: A Content Analysis Proposal

Jack Turner

Communication 675 : Introduction to Content Analysis

August 7, 2009


Civil Religion and the Discourse of George W. Bush

and Osama bin Laden: A Content Analysis Proposal

This proposal outlines a project that builds on Bellah’s civil religion theory (1967)

and subsequent research by Toolin (1983), Cronick (2002), and Menegatos (2007). I

propose using civil religion as the key concept for a content analysis of public remarks

made by George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden after the attacks of 9/11. The proposal

begins with a review of civil religion concepts and related research that examines the

prominent role of religious discourse in public communication by American presidents

throughout history. The proposal then provides a method for analyzing civil religion

characteristics in Bush and bin Laden’s public discourse in the period after the attacks of

9/11.

There is an abundance of academic research and popular media articles about

George W. Bush’s use of religious terminology, references, and imagery in his speeches

after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 ( See Kellner, 2004; D., Lincoln, B.,

2004; McFadden, K., 2004; and Warner, B. ,2008; in Appendix D, p. 28). This academic

and popular interest in one president’s religiosity suggests a robust curiosity and concern

about the use of religion by influential political leaders. This research provides a historic

perspective of Bush’s religious terminology by examining it through the lens of Bellah’s

civil religion theory.

This content analysis of bin Laden and Bush speeches seeks to objectively

quantify the amount of civil religion terminology in each speaker’s remarks by measuring

the amount and frequency of religious terminology they use. The analysis also looks for

any increase or decrease of this particular language over the course of the speeches


timeline, measuring for any escalation of religious rhetoric. If significant parallels

between Bush and bin Laden’s use of civil religion in their political “Holy war of words”

is revealed, the analysis may provide more evidence that religion mixed with politics

should be scrutinized with some suspicion by audiences everywhere.

Literature Review

The U.S. constitution includes separation of church and state as an unambiguous,

absolute rule of law that protects its people from religious discrimination and power

structures, even though America’s presidents have often used religious discourse in

important public remarks such as their inaugural addresses (Toolin, 1983). Most Middle

Eastern Muslim nations base their system of laws on religious texts such as the Qur’an

and the Hadith and recognize no separation between church, religion, and state

government (Al-Munajjid, M. S., 2009). How then does it come about that President

George W. Bush’s use of religious rhetoric has been repeatedly compared to the religious

discourse of infamous terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden?

First, research on a mix of religion and political discourse once thought to be

uniquely American, referred to as civil religion, will be discussed. Next, more current

research will show the existence of civil religion in the President Bush’s use of religion in

his public speaking. Finally, civil religion terminology will be outlined in order to

produce a content analysis instrument for examining the religious rhetoric displayed in

transcripts of Bush and Osama bin Laden speeches. It is the author’s intention to provide

concrete number to the claims that Bush and bin Laden use the same religious rhetoric.

Sociologist Robert Bellah has offered the first definition of a belief system which

consists of religion combined intrinsically with politics in the United States. He has


named called this belief system “civil religion.” Bellah says a major function of religious

language in political rhetoric is to unify people by providing and supporting a shared

understanding of how the world works. Civil religion supports the idea that God looks

over the United States of America, and America gratefully serves God in thanks for His

protection and guidance. Civil religion, by creating a sacred tradition of American

ideology and Christian faith, explains the dialectic relationship inherent in our culture

between freedom, religion and separation of church and state (Bellah, 1967).

According to Toolin, American civil religion is a belief system that draws upon

the religious ideologies and common historical experiences of the American people,

unifying diverse peoples into one group. Civil religion provides a common frame of

reference for interpreting and giving meaning to Americans’ shared existence.” Toolin

builds on Bellah’s theories by conducting a content analysis of 49 inaugural addresses for

religious themes, beginning with George Washington and ending with Ronald Reagan. In

their inaugural addresses, U.S. presidents have commonly made official statements about

how they view the national situation, “frequently citing a culture core or civil religion for

legitimation (Toolin,1983). “

Characteristics of Civil Religion

The characteristics of civil religion that Toolin has analyzed in inaugural

addresses focus on the themes of Exodus, Sacrifice, American Destiny Under God, and

International Example. Exodus is described as a theme in which Americans were seen as

being in a new world where they had a divine mission in the wilderness. Sacrifice is a

theme of showing reverence and gratitude for Americans who have lost their lives or

been wounded in the service of their nation.


American Destiny Under God is a theme of God guiding and protecting America;

its people; and especially the sacred American virtues of freedom, justice, and duty.

Bellah has theorized that the theme of International Example would emerge from the

turmoils of Vietnam and Watergate (1967). Toolin’s 1983 study has revealed that this

theme has existed for generations of presidential inaugural addresses, but usually in

combination with the theme of American Destiny Under God. The following text is a

synopsis of Toolin’s analysis results, which provides examples of each civil religion

theme that informs this proposal’s content analysis.

Civil Religion Themes and Examples from Toolin’s Analysis

Exodus: America as The Promised Land

Thomas Jefferson (1805) referred to " . . . that Being . . . who led our fathers, as

Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the

necessities and comforts of life. ... " Franklin D. Roosevelt (1935) made one fleeting

allusion, in "Shall we call this the promised land?"

Sacrifice: Respect for the Fallen Faithful

Toolin described this theme as a weak one. Eighteen addresses referred to

Sacrifice during time periods around the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, and

the Korean War. Warren G. Harding (1921) thanked soldiers wounded in World War I,

expressing “the gratitude of the Republic for their sacrifices in its defense.”

America’s Destiny Under God and

International Example: God’s Will Be Done

Toolin says these themes do not appear separately in the inaugural addresses, but

always together. Earlier references are about the "Almighty Being who rules over the


Universe; the Great Author of every public and private good; the benign Parent of the

Human Race" by George Washington in 1789. Later references include Franklin D.

Roosevelt (1933) who said " . . . we humbly ask the blessings of God . . . May He protect

each and every one of us.”

Other characteristics of civil religion revealed in Toolin’s analysis are explicit

religious references regarding Christians and Christianity, angels, Heaven, Israel, the

Cross and the Star of David, and prayer and the soul, and so on. Toolin reports that about

90 percent the of the inaugural addresses had specific references to God. Multiple

characteristics of civil religion appear in about 60 percent of the addresses (1983).

Toolin says that “references to particular people and events in American history”

are also significant to civil religion. According to Toolin, The Constitution is mentioned

with frequency through about 70 percent of inaugural addresses and it is regarded as a

“sacred book that guarantees rights and privileges to American citizens” with an

unquestionable authority. The belief reflected is that if Americans follow the

Constitution, they will be protected, safe, and secure: A faith more commonly reserved

for the Bible (1983).

Cronick makes a rhetorical analysis of the discourse of President George W. Bush

and Osama bin Laden, reflecting on how language is used by these two powerful people

to win support for their points of view and to justify themselves before the world.

Cronick mentions two principles of rhetorical analysis which apply to this investigation

of civil religion. The first is that discourse contains the history of the people who produce

it. Cronick says that most people understand references to ideas, words and metaphors

from within their cultural experience, perhaps unaware of the complex history that has


developed this understanding. Cronick states, “They can talk about things like vice,

illness, sin, virtue, abstinence, camaraderie, and high-spirited revelry and be understood

by their listeners (2002).”

The second principle pertaining to civil religion is that people use language to

achieve specific goals. This is the intentional use of language for reasons which are not

always explicit, yet the audience understands the speaker’s meaning. Both Bush and bin

Laden use religious and national, patriotic language and historical allusions in their

public speech. According to Cronick, Bush and bin Laden reveal a great deal about their

intentions as speakers in the texts of their remarks. Cronick also considers the audiences’

participation, stating, “part of the listeners' role in interpreting the speaker's words is to

judge why he or she is saying what he or she says…underlying the whole process is a

basic intentionality. The speaker wishes to accomplish something and his or her listeners

will be deciding what position to take in relation to these aims (2002).“

Cronick examines the development of Bush and bin Laden’s discourse and says

each speaker uses the other speakers rhetorical devices in a sort of competition to be

perceived as the most persuasive, most religiously faithful speaker. Cronick’s research

does not focus on objectively identifying and measuring the frequencies of content like

the proposed analysis. Cronick acknowledges that,” Interpretation is a very subjective

process. That is, I, as interpreter, will have become a participant in a rhetorical event and

will also form part of the analytic process. There can be no claim to objectivity or validity

in this kind of analysis (2002).”

Research by Menegatos correlates well with Bellah’s theory of civil religion.

Menegatos examines Bush’s September 20, 2001 address to a joint session of Congress


and compares it to bin Laden’s videotaped speech broadcast by Al Jazeera on October 7,

2001. In Menegatos’ perspective, each speaker uses religious discourse to define himself

as leader with a divine mission, establishing his servitude to God’s will as the primary

motivation for his political actions and decisions. Menegatos says Bush and bin Laden

use religion in their public remarks “to construct a reality whereby one was good and

civilized… and the other evil and uncivilized (2007).”

Menegatos says that religion has historically been important to cultural identities

and national borders, and it has provided a justification for murder and war. He states

that people in positions of power use religious beliefs, taking advantage of a powerful

social construction that can be used as a method of mass persuasion. Discourse is social

construction process and a persuasion process, so Menegatos believes that studying

religious and political communication from a social constructionist lens might help us

better understand how religion divides, unites, and persuades (2007).

Menegatos focuses on elements of social construction theory that are most

prominent in Bush and bin Laden’s speeches, but his main purpose in is to demonstrate

how religion can be used to create conflicting versions of reality and how religion can be

used as a method of persuasion that allows leaders to unite or divide groups of people.

Menegatos refers to Berger and Luckmann’s original social construction of reality theory

as the foundation of his investigation. Their theory proposes that “there is no such thing

as one objective reality, that humans use symbols to create different versions of reality,

and then internalize those subjective constructions as fact or truth (2007).”

Menegatos says Berger and Luckmann make two underlying assumptions about

human nature. First, human beings are inherently unstable and need to create some kind


order and meaning out of the world around them to continue as a species. Secondly,

human beings are inherently social animals, so they create the stability they need by

communicating certain agreements on socially acceptable behavior and values. In

Menagotos’ view, religion, and civil religion, can be regarded as a framework for

meaning and stability that is a socially constructed reality (2007).

Menagotos reflects on America’s civil religion and how it gives the nation a

sacred history and a sacred mission for the future. He states that one of the primary

elements of America’s civil religion is the idea of having an obligation (as individuals

and as a nation) to fulfill God’s will, which is a tradition that began with our nation’s

founders and continued through American Protestantism. Menagotos describes the “God

of America’s civil religion” as being particularly concerned about the well-being of

America, and that Americans identify culturally with this standpoint (2007).

Menagotos says Muslims are similar to Americans in the way they combine

religion and politics. Their sacred religious document, the Qu’ran, has given them a

historical mission as well. Mohammed’s message to his people has been to build a just

community in which all members, even the most weak and vulnerable, are treated with

absolute respect. Menagotos says, “The experience of building such a society and living

in it would give them intimations of the divine, because they would be living in

accordance with God’s will (2007).”

A Muslim society’s redemption is founded historically on obedience to Allah

(God) in all of its affairs, and that means the performance of state affairs is bound up

intrinsically with sacred duties. Muslims also believe it is God’s will for them to spread

the sacred blessings of Islamic faith to the world. With virtually no separation between


their church, faith, and state, Muslim communities can realize a cohesive unity of

purpose uninhibited by American ideas like free will. (Menegatos, 2007).

Menagatos explains that Bush and bin Laden create a simplified, uncomplicated,

version of the conflict between America and Islam for their audiences. They relate the

conflict to the powerful and mysterious supernatural forces controlled by God.

Menagatos says that after the attacks of 9 / 11Bush alerted Americans to their destiny

and calling from God when he said, “Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and

called to defend freedom (2007).”

According to Menagatos, Bush then rationalizes the 9/11 attacks and his “war on

terror” in terms of civil religion. For, according to Bush, God had allowed us to fulfill our

divine mission: “The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and

the great hope of every time, now depends on us…” Here, the sacred order of civil

religion helps Bush unite and reassure a nation feeling wounded and helpless from a

terrorist attack on God’s Land. However, it also mobilized our country into two

international conflicts that still are not completely resolved (2007).

According to Menegatos, bin Laden did much the same. Bin Laden’s taped

statement was broadcast on Al Jazeera television two and a half weeks after Bush’s first

major address to congress and the nation. Like the “Land of Milk and Honey” referenced

`because places like Mecca, Medina and Palestine hold historical and religious

significance for all Muslims. In asserting that “God has blessed a group of vanguard

Muslims… to destroy America,” bin Laden claimed that it is Muslims who are God’s

chosen people with a mission. Destroying America is part of that mission, so bin Laden


thanks God for the opportunity to serve Him: “Here is America struck by God Almighty

…its greatest buildings are destroyed. Grace and gratitude to God (2007).”

Bush and bin Laden have used their religious rhetoric to unify their people.

Menegatos says, “This is the crux of religion’s power. Religion helps us make sense of

the world around us, which can be a good thing. But when that sense-making requires

polarization and a denial, negation, or demonization of another group of people, when it

prevents us from co-existing and/or living peacefully…it [destroys] the stability we

supposedly seek.“ Basically, Menegatos is arguing that religion has the power to stabilize

human society, or destabilize it. How happy this makes you depends on what side you are

on (2007).

Methods

This proposal seeks to find quantitative evidence showing that George W. Bush

and Osama bin Laden have used language that mirrors Bellah’s characteristics of civil

religion. The research of Bellah (1967) and Toolin (1983) provides a basis for defining

civil religion themes and language. Cronick (2002) and Menegatos’ (2007) studies

provide current language for defining civil religion as it appears in the speeches of Bush

and bin Laden. The civil religion themes have been coded for use in a content analysis of

public remarks by Bush and bin Laden. A detailed guidebook has been compiled

highlighting the current language Cronick (2002) and Menegatos’ (2007) studies. The

guidebook is for training coders and for use as a reference when coder agreement is in

question.


Further, the Islamic Question and Answer website (Al-Munajjid, M. S., 2009),

Lincoln’s Holy Terrors: Thinking about Religion after September 11 (2002), and

Watanabe’s 2001 article have provided Muslim religious references equivalent to civil

religion references. This current terminology has also been included in the trainers

guidebook. Because some loss in translation can be expected, coder training with a

person fluent with Muslim terminology is planned, and one coder should also be fluent

with Muslim terminology in advance of training.

The sample for this content analysis is based on a census of transcripts of taped

remarks made by Osama bin Laden and broadcast after the attacks of 9/11. Transcripts of

official public remarks by George W. Bush about terrorism make up the other half of the

sample. The transcripts are chosen in a post 9/11 chronological order because the

literature indicates that Bush and bin Laden have used dynamic religious terminology in

this time period (See Appendix C, p.26).

Bush’s September 20, 2001 speech is used as a starting point for measuring the

number and frequency of civil religion references and terminology. There are only six

transcripts available of bin Laden’s broadcasted remarks after the attacks on September

11, 2001. The census is limited to six transcripts from each speaker in order to maintain

an equitable balance of text between the two speakers.

Transcripts of Bush and bin Laden’s post 9/11 remarks have been

downloaded from various news and research websites, including CNN, ABC News, USA

Today, the SITE Intelligence Group, and High Beam Research. It has been decided that

Bush’s remarks concerning terrorism will be the most equitable text to make a

comparison with bin Laden’s transcripts. Also, transcripts have been chosen to be as


close to each other in a timeline as possible in order to ascertain whether there is an

escalation in civil religion terms over time. The transcripts date from September 20, 2001

(Bush) to September 11, 2007 (bin Laden).

The variables this content analysis is concerned with are the four themes of civil

religion created by Bellah in 1967 and researched by Toolin in 1983. The themes are

Exodus, Sacrifice, American Destiny Under God, and International Example. The coding

unit used to examine the transcripts for the themes is one sentence. It is believed that

coding each transcript by the sentence for civil religion themes will produce the best

measurement of content. The size of the sample is also small enough for this operation to

be efficient with the coder’s time.

Because defining variables and units of coding and analysis is so crucial to a

successful content analysis, it may be necessary to spend more time clarifying some

terminology with the coders. In fact, even though every attempt has been made to

categorize and define coding units to be mutually exclusive and exhaustive, some coding

deletion and some addition of emerging values is expected. This process will strengthen

the reliability of the content analysis.

The coding instrument for the analysis is delineated into sections for recording

references to Exodus, Sacrifice, America’s Destiny Under God, International Example,

and America’s Destiny Under God and International Example combined (see Appendix

A, p.19). The last two themes commonly occur together (Toolin, 1983), but the categories

need to be available separately to include every possibility in the transcripts. Islamic

equivalents are listed to make clear coding possible, so Islam’s Destiny Under God is

another category available.


This analysis depends on coders having a thorough understanding of civil religion

themes and what language to scrutinize. For this purpose, a guidebook for the coders has

been compiled that gives detailed descriptions of each theme, historical references from

Toolin’s 1983 study of inaugural addresses, and current examples from Bush and bin

Laden transcripts (See Appendix B p. 22 and 24). Again, in order to get the best analysis

possible, coders and trainers are expected to have in-depth discussions about the themes

and to confer often about coding categories.

Two coders are necessary to conduct the content analysis. As noted, one of them

should be fluent with Muslim religious terminology in order to define Muslim terms

equitable to civil religion terms. One trainer fluent with Muslim religious references is

also desirable. The coders and trainers (the author and a person fluent in Muslim religion)

will spend time training that is adequate to attain a reliability score of .70 using

Krippendorf’s alpha.

Five practice sessions will be held using random pages from Bush and bin Laden

transcripts. This will help with classifying the coding units and finding agreement

between the coders. After ten training sessions and appropriate time for discussion, the

coders and trainers will decide whether more training is needed , or if it is advisable to

conduct a pre-test.

If the coders and trainers agree to conduct the pre-test, each coder will receive

half of a Bush transcript and half of a bin Laden transcript from the actual sample. If

coder results from the pre-test show a coder reliability of .70 using Krippendorf’s alpha,

the full content analysis may proceed. If sufficient reliability is not achieved, more

training will be necessary before moving on to the actual coding. Coder reliability will be


checked again after the first transcripts are coded, and again after the third coded to

maintain quality control.

Results from the finished content analysis will be entered onto a Microsoft Excel

worksheet so it can be transferred into SPSS software. Variables entered into the SPSS

package will be the four themes of civil religion, plus the combination of America’s

Destiny Under God / International Example. Because they are virtually the same term,

the researcher will code Islamic Destiny Under God in the same categories columns

where America’s Destiny Under God is used. Scoring will not be unaffected by this

procedure.

Once the data is compiled in SPSS, measurements of number and frequency of

references to civil religion can be calculated. Each speeches data will be individually

entered from an Excel worksheet. After the twelve coding results are entered, the totals

can be analyzed for increase or decrease of terminology over time, ands so on.

Conclusion

How we define ourselves also defines the way we communicate. Bush and bin

Laden define themselves in their discourse as pious men following a sacred duty. Bush

has been described by critics as being convinced that he is called by God to do His

Devine work, which is to spread Democracy and the American Way to all of mankind

(Lincoln, B., 2004). To the author, Bush and bin Laden’s certainty of their divine mission

for themselves and their people sounds more like an earthbound, human creation than a

spiritual quest emanating from the infinite wisdom of a higher form of consciousness.

From Menegatos’ point of view, however, bin Laden and Bush may have created a world


in which they must believe in fulfilling their divine missions or they will lose their souls

to the chaos of unfaithful and evil non – believers.

This analysis attempts to answer the question: Are bush and Bin Laden really

saying what Cronick and Menagatos claim they are saying, and does it equate to Bellah’s

theory of civil religion? Can we measure it objectively? Determining the accuracy of

their interpretations with a content analysis can shed light on the accuracy of the

interpretive studies produced by Cronick and Menagatos. Analyzing the discourse of

Bush and bin Laden in an objective way may also reveal persuasive themes and language

that they have affectively used without engaging our critical awareness.


References

Al-Munajjid, M. S. (2009). Introduction to Islam. Islamic Question and Answer.

Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.islamqa.com/en/cat/12.

Bellah, R.N. (1967). Civil religion in America Daedalus, 96.1, (Winter, 1967) 1-21.

Reprinted in Daedalus (2005) 134. 4, 40-55. Retrieved July22, 2009 from

http://www.jstor.org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/20027022.

Cronick, K. (2002). The Discourse of President George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden:

A rhetorical analysis and hermeneutic interpretation. 3. 3, Art. 3.Forum:

Qualitative Social Research. Retrieved July 9, 2009 from http://www.

qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewArticle/836/1816.

Lincoln, B (2002). The Rhetoric of Bush and Bin Laden. Excerpt from Holy Terrors:

Thinking about Religion after September 11. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from

http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190152.

Lincoln, B. (2004).Words matter: How Bush speaks in religious code. The Boston Globe,

September 12, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2009 from http://www.boston.com/news/

globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/09/12/words_matter/.

Maney, K. (2001). Bin Laden's messages could be hiding in plain sight. USA Today.

December 19, 2001 Retrieved July 29 from http://www.usatoday.com/

tech/columnist/2001/12/19maney.htm.

Menegatos, L.( 2007). Using religious discourse to construct reality: How George W.

Bush and Osama bin Laden united and divided nations. Paper presented at the

annual meeting of the NCA 93rd Annual Convention, TBA, Chicago, IL Online

<PDF>.May 23 ,2009.Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.allacademic.

http://www.jstor.org.mutex.gmu.edu/action/showPublication?journalCode=daedalus



com/meta/p193434_index.html.

Toolin, C. (1983). American Civil Religion from 1789 to 1981: A content analysis of

presidential inaugural addresses. Review of Religious Research, 25.1. Retrieved

July 22, 2009 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 3511310.

Watanabe, T. (2001) Interpreting Islam: War and peace. The Los Angeles Times. Oct. 5,

2001. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/

side/1074255.html.


Appendix A

STUDY INSTRUMENT

Coder’s Name_____________________

Date_____________________________

Speech you are coding Bush #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

bin Laden #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES OF CIVIL RELIGION IN THIS SPEECH [Fill in after coding]

Are civil religion characteristics demonstrated in this speech? YES NO

Total number of sentences in this speech______

Total number of civil religion theme references in this speech____

Total number of civil religion theme references in this speech by type:

Exodus_______ Sacrifice______

America’s Destiny Under God ______ Islam’s Destiny Under God ______

International Example______

CODING Coding unit: Each sentence of speech.Code each sentence for civil religion terms and references.

CIVIL RELIGION CHARACTERISTICS

For each characteristic record number of times the unit occurs in the transcript.

1. Does this speech have Exodus references?Exodus________

2. Does this speech have Sacrifice references?Sacrifice_______


3. Does this speech have Destiny Under God / Allah references?Destiny Under God / Allah____

4. Does this speech have America / Islam as an International Example references?America / Islam as an International Example_____

5. Does George W. Bush use more civil religious terms and references in his public and political rhetoric than Osama bin Laden? Record total references for each speech. Add total of all speeches and record.

Bush Speech # 1____#2 ___#3 ____#4____#5____#6____ Total____

bin Laden Speech # 1____#2 ___#3 ____#4____#5____#6____ Total____

6.How frequently does George Bush use the civil religion theme of Exodus?

Bush TranscriptTotal units Exodus ___ Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

7.How frequently does bin Laden use the civil religion theme of Exodus?

bin Laden TranscriptTotal units Exodus ___Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

8.How frequently does George Bush use the civil religion theme of Sacrifice?

Bush TranscriptTotal units Sacrifice ___ Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

9.How frequently does bin Laden use the civil religion theme of Sacrifice?

bin Laden TranscriptTotal units Sacrifice ___Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences____


10.How frequently does George Bush use the civil religion theme of American Destiny Under God?

Bush TranscriptTotal units American Destiny ___ Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

11.How frequently does bin Laden use the civil religion theme of Islamic Destiny Under God?

bin Laden TranscriptTotal units Islamic Destiny ___Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

12. How frequently does George Bush use the civil religion theme of International Example?

Bush TranscriptTotal units International Example ___ Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences ____

13. How frequently does bin Laden use the civil religion theme of International Example?

bin Laden TranscriptTotal units International Example ___Total sentences analyzed ___Ratio Sacrifice / Total sentences____

14. Do civil religion references increase or decrease over time? (Frequency)

Record total references for each speech. Add total of all speeches and record.

Bush Speech # 1____#2 ___#3 ____#4____#5____#6____ Total____

bin Laden Speech # 1____#2 ___#3 ____#4____#5____#6____ Total____


Appendix B

TRAINING GUIDEBOOK SAMPLE*

*Subject to change during training

Historic Civil Religion Themes and Examples

EXODUS: AMERICA AS THE PROMISED LAND

Thomas Jefferson (1805) referred to " . . . that Being . . . who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessities and comforts of life. ... " Franklin D. Roosevelt (1935) made one fleeting allusion, in "Shall we call this the promised land?"

SACRIFICE: RESPECT FOR THE FALLEN FAITHFUL Toolin described this theme as a weak one. Eighteen addresses referred to Sacrifice during time periods around the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, and the Korean War. Warren G. Harding (1921) thanked soldiers wounded in World War I, expressing “the gratitude of the Republic for their sacrifices in its defense.”

DESTINY…, AND INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE: GOD’S WILL BE DONE

Earlier references are about the "Almighty Being who rules over the Universe; the Great Author of every public and private good; the benign Parent of the Human Race" by George Washington in 1789.

Later references include Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933) who said " . . . we humbly ask the blessings of God . . . May He protect each and every one of us. Ulysses S. Grant (1869) said, " ... that our own great Republic is destined to be the guiding star to all others";Harry S. Truman (1949) stated that "The peoples of the earth . . . look to the United States as never before for goodwill, strength, and leadership."

DUTY"I was summoned by my country . . . the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to, which the voice of my country called, being sufficient to awaken in the wisest and most experienced of her citizens a. distrustful scrutiny into his qualifications

Duty as a sacred trust: Grover Cleveland (1885) said the citizens " . . . have committed to one of their fellow citizens a supreme and sacred trust, and he here consecrates himself to their service."


FREEDOMFreedom was usually used to refer to civil liberties as God given rights that we have in our possession and that we must protect, and, if possible, extend. An example is William Henry Harrison (1841) refers to the civil and religious freedom as "Gifts of civil and religious freedom" that God has blessed us with.” Woodrow Wilson (1917) stated that " . . . we wished nothing for ourselves that we were not ready to demand for all mankind-fair dealing, justice, the freedom to live and to be at ease against organized wrong."

EXPLICIT RELIGIOUS REFERENCES References to the United states/America in religious terms, such as the “Land of Milk and Honey,” national/historic figures referenced or revered as religious figures such as “Abraham Lincoln's death being symbolic of the death of Jesus.”

Christians and Christianity, angels, Heaven, Israel, the Cross and the Star of David, and prayer and the soulPrayer, inauguration day be made a day of prayer, direct quotes from bible.

PARTICULAR PEOPLE AND EVENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

References to the Constitution as the revered instrument [that] enumerates the powers and prescribes the duties, declares the purposes to which these and the whole action of the Government should be and sacredly devoted . . . it has to an extent far beyond the ordinary lot of humanity secured the freedom and happiness of this people.

RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL REFERENCES TOGETHER.guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of this nation [and] whose blessings the war ... stamped with that justice which invites the smiles of Heaven on the means of conducting it to a successful termination.

Sources

Bellah, R.N. (1967). Civil religion in America Daedalus, 96.1, (Winter, 1967) 1-21.

Reprinted in Daedalus (2005) 134. 4, 40-55. Retrieved July22, 2009 from

http://www.jstor.org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/20027022.

Toolin, C. (1983). American Civil Religion from 1789 to 1981: A content analysis of

presidential inaugural addresses. Review of Religious Research, 25.1. Retrieved July 22,

2009 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 3511310




Appendix B

TRAINING GUIDEBOOK SAMPLE*

*Subject to change during training

Modern Civil Religion Themes and Examples:George W. Bush & Osama bi Laden

EXODUS

Refer to Historical Themes. Not as evident in modern era, decisions on this may change.

SACRIFICE Personal sacrifices in defense of our republic. victims of terror hard work

AMERICAN DESTINY UNDER GODour mission, war on terror, human our future, God’s will (plan), divine

freedom, advance of human freedom hostile regime,

traitors to own faith, radical Taliban’s oppression, humanitarian aid,

AMERICA AS AN INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE

America will redeem itself and the world by following God’s plan. America

called to defend, symbol of prosperity, we will come together,

will protect and spread freedom and justice throughout His Creation.

AMERICAN DESTINY …& AMERICA AS AN INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE

With God’s protection and guidance, America will prosper and realize its destiny: Protecting and spreading freedom and justice throughout His Creation.

enemies of freedom; we are a country awakened, awakened to danger

under attack… world’s fight,

all who believe, believe in progress, war on terror, human freedom, advance of human freedom , our nation depends on us, the world depends on us

this generation, dark threat of violence, our people, God’s intervention / will / plan, , our great country…rally world to this cause,


(AMERICAN DESTINY …& AMERICA AS AN INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE)

we will not tire / falter / fail, murderous ideology, our military, our war on terror,

our response, our freedom… vision of the world

ISLAMIC DESTINY …& ISLAM AS AN INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE“Our Islamic nation will not live in peace before peace reigns in Palestine, and before all

the army of infidels depart the land of Muhammad”

peace be upon Him, land of Mohammed, Land of Islam,the peninsula of Mohammed, pagan, traitor, unbeliever, non-believer, infidel,believer,

the camp of the faithful and the camp of infidels, May God shield us,enemy of the faith,the starving and suffering men and women and children of Afghanistan,

holy warrior (mujahid), "the group that refuses to be subdued in its religion ,forefront of Islam," whom "God has blessed. " every Muslim" and "our Islamic nation" against infidels, faithful, our Islamic nation, Qu’ran, Mohammed, Jesus, God Allah, blessing,

Sources

Cronick, K. (2002). The Discourse of President George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden:

A rhetorical analysis and hermeneutic interpretation. 3. 3, Art. 3.Forum:

Qualitative Social Research. Retrieved July 9, 2009 from http://www.

qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewArticle/836/1816.

Lincoln, B (2002). The Rhetoric of Bush and Bin Laden. Excerpt from Holy

Terrors: Thinking about Religion after September 11. Retrieved August 3, 2009

from http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190152/

Menegatos, L.( 2007). Using religious discourse to construct reality: How George W.

Bush and Osama bin Laden united and divided nations. Paper presented at the

annual meeting of the NCA 93rd Annual Convention, TBA, Chicago, IL Online

<PDF>.May 23 ,2009.Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.allacademic.


Appendix C

George W. Bush Transcripts: Chronological Order

1) September 20, 2001Transcript of President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript.

2) October 29, 2001

Directive on Combating Terrorism Through Immigration Policies. Transcript. HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-81009565.html

3) October 12, 2002

The President's radio address: message on national security (Transcript). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-95104583.html

4) December 17, 2004

President George W. Bush delivers remarks at the signing of S. 2845, the intelligence reform and terrorism prevention act of 2004. HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103540530.html..5) February 24, 2006

President of the United States George w. Bush delivers remarks on terrorism. HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-118903056.html.

6) November 1, 2007 President George W. Bush delivers remarks at the heritage foundation on terrorism. HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1- 145595855.html.

[See next pg. For Osama bin Laden ]


Appendix C

Osama bin Laden Transcripts: Chronological Order

1) October 7, 2001 Video.CNN.comhttp://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/central/10/07/ret.binladen.transcript/index.html

2) December 13, 2001 * Video.NN.com - Transcript of Osama bin Laden videotape. *Speaking with others

about 9 / 11 attacks.http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/13/tape.transcript/.

3) February 5, 2002 Video.CNN.com.Transcript of bin Laden's interview by Al-Jazeera television correspondent Tayseer Alouni [conducted secretly in October 2001].http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/05/binladen.transcript/index.html.

4) October 29, 2004 Video.CNN.com.http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/.

5) January 19, 2006: Audio only.USA TODAY.http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-01-19-binladen-fulltext_x.htm

6) September 11, 2007 Video.SITE Institute / SITE Intelligence Group.http://counterterrorismblog.org/site-resources/images/SITE-OBL-transcript.pdf.


Appendix D

Academic and Popular Interest in the Religious Discourse of George W. Bush: A Partial List

Kellner, D. (2004). 9/11, Spectacles of terror, and media manipulation: a critique of Jihadist and Bush media politics. Critical Discourse Studies, 1.1, 41-64.

Lincoln, B. (2004) Words matter: How Bush speaks in religious code.

The Boston Globe, September 12, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2009 from http://

www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/ articles/2004/09/12/

words_matter?mode=PF.

McFadden, K. (2004) The Jesus Factor’ and George W. Bush. The Seattle Times. April

29, 2004.Retrieved July 28, 2009 from http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.

com/archive/?date=20040429&slug=kay29.

Warner, B. (2008). Priestly Warriors: Presidential Use of Religious Rhetoric to

Define the Need for War. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the APSA

2008 Annual Meeting, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/

Documents

Civil Religion Bush Aug09