Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

forum in 2011, “Being religious is never un-American. Being religious is quintessentially
American…We’re all American” (Sullivan). In other words, religion is part of the very fabric that defines
being American. Although the secularist message did not intend to denigrate Christians, U.S. society
perceived the message as such, moving beyond Christians to include Muslims, Hindus, and all religions
(Haythorn).
Bob Enyart, spokesman for American Right to Life, said, “America had tremendous Christian
influence in our founding. And we have been an example to the world of religious tolerance” (qtd. in
Haythorn). Americans perceive themselves to be the pinnacle of religious tolerance, finding unity and
acceptance in their citizenship as Americans despite their religious differences. The rhetorical vision of the
secular organizations that suggests unity is found in the personal abandonment of religion undermines the
very unity that Americans perceive through religion. This fact is evident in President Barack Obama’s
statements in his Call to Renewal address:
[W]e first need to understand that Americans are a religious people; 90 percent of us
believe in God, 70 percent affiliate themselves with an organized religion, 38 percent call
themselves committed Christians, and substantially more people in America believe in
angels than they do in evolution. This religious tendency is not simply the result of
successful marketing by skilled preachers or the draw of popular mega-churches. In fact, it
speaks to a hunger that’s deeper than that – a hunger that goes beyond any particular issue
or cause…I came to realize that something was missing as well – that without a vessel for
my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I
would always remain apart, and alone. (Obama)
To remove religion is to remove the unity Americans find in such a pursuit. Additionally, the very
rhetorical vision directly contradicts their message for unity because the abandonment of religion disunites
the religious community found in America. Therefore, the very message of unity by the secular
52