Calling nationalism a religion uncritically presumes a fixed definition of religion

Evidence

However, I am not persuaded that because national political life depends on ceremonial and on symbols of the sacred, it should be represented as a kind of religion—that it is enough to point to certain parallels with what we intuitively recognize as religion. One problem with this position is that it takes as unproblematic the entire business of defining religion. It does not ask why particular elements of “religion” as a concept should be picked out as definitive, and therefore fails to consider the discursive roles they play in different situations. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 920 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism is a cultural framework, not a political theology; Christian nationalism bundles political ideology with cultural religious claims; Christian nationalism is a dynamic ideology, not a single founding belief — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 51 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Calling nationalism a religion begs the question of how religion is defined. #expands (0.98) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 920