The photos posted on the blog of United Flight 93 possess many examples of civil religion and patriotism, and instill within me a sense of pride to be an American. Much of the civil religion seen in the United 93 photos is obviously in the aftermath, but there are examples of civil religion that historical accounts of United 93 talk about. For example, there are many stories of people banding together and praying on a plane, simply because they felt this individual responsibility to band together for America. Additionally, it may not be an example of civil religion, but I am sometimes reminded of United 93 when I see the large carts that stewardesses push around plane. This is because aboard United 93, passengers on board were trying to get behind the cart and use it to ram the cockpit door open after they realized it had been hijacked. In regards to civil religion and the powerpoint photos posted of United 93, a few certain photos come to mind. For example, the many different shrines or sites of remembrance to the victims that lost their lives on United 93 is a source of civil religion, as these sites commemorate the great service that many people did on 9/11, and serve as a constant reminder on 9/11 every year, which has become a day where the sense of civil religion is very high in remembrance of all of the victims. Also, the photo of the American flag colored bald eagle on slide 17 is a great example of civil religion. The red, white and blue mixed with the bald eagle instill a sense of patriotism, while the saying “America United” reminds me of the pledge of allegiance line “one nation, under God”. Overall, many aspects of surrounding United 93 have come to serve as sources of civil religion.
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