Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
The US is described as religious in a general sense, valuing faith adherence regardless of specific denomination.
In plain terms
In the US, having a religion matters more than which one you follow.
What can you take from it?
American culture values religious participation broadly rather than specific doctrines.

Where it applies

  • sociological analysis
  • cultural commentary
  • religious studies

Putting it to work

  • policy analysis
  • community engagement

Questions to consider

  • Is being religious essential in American culture?
  • Does pluralism define American faith?

Another view

The quote generalizes all Americans as religious, ignoring secular populations.

More from Susan Sontag

  1. Americans are constantly extolling 'traditions'; litanies to family values are at the center of every politician's discourse. And yet the culture of America is…

    Permalink to quote #60
  2. 'Old' and 'new' are the perennial poles of all feeling and sense of orientation in the world. We cannot do without the old, because in what is old is invested …

    Permalink to quote #62
  3. It is hard for people not to see the world in polarizing terms ('them' and us') and these terms have in the past strengthened the isolationist theme in America…

    Permalink to quote #59

Related quotes

  1. It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sa…

    Rick SantorumRick Santorum quote #1
  2. Although the mass of the people accepted the white man's God, either under physical duress or because he seemed more powerful than their own Gods, they never a…

    Penny LernouxPenny Lernoux quote #1
  3. People are too apt to treat God as if he were a minor royalty.

    Herbert Beerbohm TreeHerbert Beerbohm Tree quote #1