The American Religion
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature, Religious studies |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Harold Bloom |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
The American Religion: The Rise of the Post-Christian Nation (initially published in 1992; second edition in 2006) by literary scholar Harold Bloom explores religion in the United States using an approach he terms religious criticism. Within this framework, Bloom investigates religious groups including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christian Science, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
Summary
Bloom introduces religious criticism as a discipline separate from conventional religious studies, drawing a parallel to his literary criticism methodology that balances aesthetic evaluation with historical context. His primary interest lies in the spiritual principles embedded within religious traditions.[1]
He characterizes a predominant American religious movement that spans numerous sects—such as Mormonism, Southern Baptist Convention, Pentecostalism, and Seventh-day Adventism—and broadens this category to encompass most "Christian" factions in the U.S., including mainline Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.[2] At the heart of this faith is the conviction that authentic divine experience is attained through "complete inward solitude," prioritizing individual salvation over collective worship.[3] Although its origins trace back to European Enthusiasm, Bloom contends that this American variant diverges significantly from orthodox Christianity and aligns more closely with a type of Gnosticism.[4] He identifies the Second Great Awakening at Cane Ridge as a pivotal moment in its development.[5]
While acknowledging the American Religion’s imaginative vitality, Bloom critiques its political ramifications. He voices apprehension about its partnership with conservative political movements since the Reagan-Bush administrations, fearing this alliance may sustain Republican presidential dominance for an extended period.[6]
Publication history
Originally released by Simon & Schuster in 1992 under the title The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation, the second edition appeared in 2006 through Chu Hartley Publishers, dropping the subtitle and adding a new afterword.
Reception
In Reviews in American History, historian Henry F. May praised the book as "brilliant and original," endorsing it for scholars of American religious history, though he noted Bloom’s "unabashedly subjective" style and tendency toward "broad generalizations."
Conversely, in Commentary, Richard John Neuhaus dismissed the volume as "a 288-page imaginative flirtation with nonsense," criticizing Bloom for neglecting explicit doctrinal statements from religious organizations.
James P. Hanigan, writing for America, recognized Bloom’s "provocative and significant insights," particularly concerning how traditional Christianity integrates with American culture and the association between direct divine experience and anti-intellectual tendencies. Nevertheless, Hanigan regarded Bloom’s portrayal of a "Gnostic" spirituality as ultimately unconvincing.
External links
- Original edition available on Archive.org
- Review featured in the New York Times