Abstract
This book assesses the history of the idea of civil religion and proposes a new theoretical interface encompassing all its conceptualisations encountered to date (Varro, Vico, Rousseau, Bellah, Cristi, Parsons, Luhmann and Lübbe). Civil religion is understood here as a system of reference points through which society, in the process of self-description, projects into the peripheries its autopoietic realities (of the past, future and eternality) so as to lend stability and import to its existence.
By relating to these references, a discourse originates which, being characteristic of the presence of thick and comprehensive meanings, enables the society to communicate about its origins, ends and purpose. In its civil configuration this discourse is pluralist and the involvement of its actors is quite restrained.
The model allows for an analysis of the entire strong symbol-based communication of the actors (weighty words, religious symbols, nationalism, conspiracy theories, political correctness etc.) within a single context, as well as of preconditions for such communication. The crisis discourse opened in the USA after 9/11 and aspects of Czech life and institutions are also analysed.
In the Czech Republic we identify a minority civil religion discourse, concentrated around semi-secularised references on truth and justice.