The religious imaginary, a collective sense of what provides purpose for citizens, plays a large role in how Americans operate as a society—including who we choose to elect—according to Diane Winston, professor of journalism and communication at the University of Southern California.
“I want to focus on religious imaginary,” Winston said. “It’s a shared orientation that reflects a higher purpose, and it is enacted through everyday life—who we elect, where we put our money, how we raise our children, and more.”
Winston spoke at Boston College on Thursday at the sixth annual Wolfe Lecture on Religion and American Politics. Winston discussed former President Ronald Reagan’s impact on American history and its effects today, particularly regarding former President Donald Trump’s rise in politics.
Reagan was raised in the Church and was deeply faithful, according to Winston. However, Reagan’s religious beliefs changed over time, especially during his presidency.
“Reagan was a man of faith,” Winston said. “He admired Christian books about faith, and many of his childhood friends expected him to go into the ministry. Like many of us, his faith changed over time, and it wasn’t in his later years, especially in the White House, bound to an institution.”
Reagan did seek and receive endorsements from conservative Christians during his campaigns and elections through his openness about his faith, but he did not publicize his faith purely for transactional purposes,
“During these years in the White House, many reporters questioned whether he was a Christian and claimed that his religiosity was a pretext—the way to win Christian votes,” Winston said. “Now it’s true, Reagan sought and received endorsements from conservative Christians, but it was not simply a transactional relationship. He was a believer, and many, if not most, of his policies were expressions of his faith.”
During his election in 1980, Reagan rearranged the then-dominant American religious imaginary to fit his vision that was informed by his Christian beliefs, his belief in American exceptionalism, and his notion of a biblical city on a hill.
“Reagan also used the media to shift the narrative, to shift the imaginary, to tell a different story,” Winston said. “It was also a shift in perspective in which the news media played a significant role. I argue that newspapers normalized Reagan’s religious imaginary when they circulated speeches, press conferences, and interviews, and normalized ideas through repetition and professional choices.”
Winston went on to explain the “epidemic” of social media and how it has transformed the media into a place where loneliness and extreme marketing are exacerbated.
“Trump is a creature of the markets, an embodiment of individual freedom to its extreme, and today’s news and media has helped normalize his words and ideas,” Winston said. “Statements and behaviors that were once deemed deviant and malicious have become commonplace.”
Winston then brought up an example of how the media still impacts the narrative used by politicians. She quoted an article written by Lucian Truscott, which stated that even The New York Times is normalizing Trump’s words by writing off Trump’s phrases that were directly said by Adolf Hitler.
“Donald Trump, in speaking about the issue of immigration has inserted eugenics and his belief in the superiority of the white race into the campaign,” Winston quoted from the article.
Winston ended the lecture by discussing the current state of democracy and how it relates to Reagan.
“Reagan was, I believe, a decent person who believed in democracy and thought he was acting in the best interest of this country,” Winston said. “And the irony is, I don’t think Reagan would have been at all happy with this ending.”
