Study Questions for Bellah, Chapters 3 and 4
Chapter 3
Describe the process by which modern Americans (e.g., Margaret Oldham or
Brian
Palmer) become "self-reliant."
What problems have been created by their belief that we must "make up our
deepest beliefs in the isolation of our private selves?" How has this belief
transformed the nature of moral judgments and ideals in the 20th century?
How, in short, has it helped to justify the therapeutic desire to "feel good"
rather than to "be good?"
What are "lifestyle enclaves?" How do they differ from "communities of hope"
or
"communities of memory?"
Chapter 4
Compare the "traditional" view of love and marriage maintained by Larry
Beckett, Les Newman and Howard Crossland with the "therapeutic” view
celebrated by Margaret Oldham, Melinda Da Silva, Ted Oster and Nan Pfautz.
Which view is closest to the image of love and marriage maintained by
Americans in the 19th century? How did Marge and Fred Rowan attempt to
bridge the two views? Why has the "traditional" image of love and marriage
become so problematic in the 20
th
century? What are the problems inherent
in the "therapeutic" view? What kinds of tensions are created when marriage
is based on a concept of love that includes not only intimacy and honesty but
also individualism and freedom?
How has the "therapeutic" view challenged and transformed "traditional" or
Victorian ideas about male/female identities, roles, and relationships (i.e.,
attitudes toward gender identities, love, sexuality, marriage, and family life)?
