Examination of the Religious Nature of Secular Nationalism

Abstract

This study aims to explore whether secular nationalism can be considered as a type of religion. In the first section, the term “religious nationalism” is perceived as nationalism that generally demonstrates characteristics commonly associated with religion. In the second section, definitions of nationalism and religion are explained respectively. This study then draws parallels between the two, depicting religion as a good “metaphor” for nationalism, thereby describing basic concepts of religious nationalism with reference to some policies in Revolutionary France in 1790 as an instance. In section three, more specific overlapping characteristics possessed by both nationalism and religion are elaborated in which this study not only analyses similarities between the hierarchical structure of the government and the Church, but also compares the devotion of the “state” maintained by citizens to worship of “God” maintained by believers. Drawing inspiration by a variety of scholars ranging from Carlton Hayes to Friedrich Nietzsche, this study eventually reaches a conclusion that, despite variations in the intensity of national sentiments across different countries, secular nationalism is undoubtedly a type of religion supported by these similar characteristics described above.