Individual religious violence

Individual religious violence deals primarily with actions perpetrated by individuals acting on their own, often outside the context of wider society. Examples would include self-mutilatory behavior such as stigmata, whipping, flagellation, wearing thigh straps with nails and so forth. These kinds of acts may sometimes be characterised as deviant when they are radically different from prevailing social norms.

Collective religious violence

Collective religious violence is what we more commonly picture when we think of religious violence. The term "collective" refers, in effect, to any violent activity that is perpetrated within the context of society, is legitimated by at least a subset of society or religion and always has a political dimension. Note that the term "collective" does not mean that a single individual cannot undertake collective religious violence - a single suicide bomber's attack is collective just as much as the mass suicide in Jonestown.

In most instances, serious religious violence is perpetrated by individuals belonging to social groups whose religious zeal and conviction exceed that of an average member of the wider society, although milder forms, such as verbal abuse or ostracism, can be habitually practiced by larger communities. The range of religious violence is varied, and in its more serious forms it often involves illegal means (although in some instances, the use of religious violence can be sanctioned and even undertaken by the government), such as physical abuse and vandalism, and in more extreme cases, torture or murder. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center are an extreme example of religious violence.

It's worth noting that even though in many instances religion is used to justify violent behavior, the immediate motivations of the individuals involved may not be religious as such and the overall goals of such behavior may be cultural, personal or even economical. An example of this is the organized violence directed against black people during the American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) - the Ku Klux Klan made a strong point of being a Christian organization and often used this to justify its active stance against desegregation and racial integration, but despite this, the Klan's actions were motivated more by racism and intolerance than religious beliefs.

Some contrast religious with sectarian violence, which is conflict between different sects of one religion. This contrast, however, is difficult to maintain, as there is no way to empirically distinguish between "sects" and "religions" in a non-arbitrary way.

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A national religion

In the countries from which the American colonists emigrated the dominant values of the nation were often supported by an organized national church. American Protestants made certain that no organized national church would exist in their young country.

Americans, however, have developed a number of informal practices which combine national patriotism with religion. A number of scholars have referred to these practices as the "national religion" of the United States. The main function of this national religion is to provide support for the dominant values of the nation. Thus, it does in an informal and less organized way what nationally organized churches did for European nations in earlier times.

The informal national religion in the United States mixes patriotism with religious ideas in songs and in ceremonies. The purpose of these songs and ceremonies is to proclaim God's blessing on America and its basic values.

The national religion can be observed on occasions where Americans gather together in large and small groups - on national holidays, at political conventions, at large religious gatherings, and especially at sports events. Before a football game, for example, tens of thousands of Americans will stand to hear a religious leader's prayer, followed by the singing of the national anthem.

Patriotic songs such as "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", and "My Country 'Tis of Thee" are as well known to most Americans as is their national anthem. These songs are sung frequently on public occasions and may even be sung at Protestant worship services. Such songs express the idea that the United States and its basic values have received God's special blessing.

Some observers of American society believe that the various practices that are called the national religion can have harmful effects. Sometimes these practices can help to create a climate in which disagreement with current national practices is discouraged or not tolerated. In the 1950s, for example, persons who disagreed with current popular beliefs or with government policies were often accused of being "un-American", which meant unpatriotic or even disloyal. Many were investigated by the government, and Americans freedom of speech was in danger. In the 1960s, young people who protested against the war in Vietnam were considered to be un-American by some. "America - love it or leave it" was an expression of this excessive patriotism.

The earliest Protestant settlers believed that by coming to America they were carrying out God's plan. This belief gave them confidence that they would succeed.

Modern Americans still need to believe that their nation will continue to succeed. The national religion helps to answer this need by reminding them of their religious heritage. It is a means of maintaining their national self-confidence in a rapidly changing world.