National Museum of American Religion
Understand America As You Never Have Before.
Value Proposition
The National Museum of American Religion invites all people to be inspired by the Constitution’s revolutionary commitment to the idea of religious freedom and to be moved to seek its preservation for future generations.
The National Museum of American Religion will be:
The National Museum of American Religion will be:
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Mission
The National Museum of American Religion tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This included the establishment of religious freedom defined by the U.S. Constitution's Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses. Committed to honesty and inclusivity, it tells stories of individuals, institutions, and movements that have formed the distinctive religious history of our nation. NMAR invites all people to discover how the ideal of religious freedom, as expressed in the Constitution and experienced by people throughout United States history, has shaped our social, political, economic, and cultural lives from the period before European colonization to the present day.
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VisionThe National Museum of American Religion will be the nationally recognized center for presenting, interpreting, and educating the public about the impact of religion and the freedom that fuels it on the United States and the lives of people who have called this country their home. It seeks to inspire civil dialogue and debates about this complex and moving story, while also challenging assumptions and understandings about religion’s impact on history and contemporary life.
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Explore how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion
Discover
Discover the role that religion, and the freedom that fuels it, has played in the history of the United States and how both continue to influence the ongoing American story.
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AppreciateAppreciate the long history of religious freedom, including its expansions and contractions, and the responsibility we share, regardless of one’s personal faith or feelings toward religion generally, to protect, preserve, and perfect it.
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ExamineExamine religion and the idea of religious freedom in America through an honest engagement with their histories, purposes, and uses.
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Understand
Understand the complexities arising from religious freedom and the resulting capacity for significant religious diversity.
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ChallengeChallenge one’s understanding of the history and impact of religion on America and America on religion, which includes the establishment of the idea of religious freedom as a governing principle in the United States.
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FAQ
Will the Museum include Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism as well as Christianity and Judaism?
Yes, in so far as they appear in the American narrative.
Will the Museum be of interest to the “spiritual but not religious”, “nones” and others who keep themselves distant from organized religion?
Yes.
Is the Museum affiliated with political parties or movements?
No.
Will the Museum be of interest to atheists?
Yes.
Does the Museum take stances on current national questions, including court cases, involving religion and religious freedom?
No, but the museum may become an important place for such issues to be placed in historical context in symposia.
Will Christianity be displayed prominently, and represented as the favored religion in the United States?
The various Christian denominations will be featured in so far as they have influenced the American story. Christianity will not be represented as the favored religion in the United States.
Is the Museum financially supported by institutional religions in any major way?
No. All are welcome to contribute but their support does not alter curation.
Does the Museum have affiliations with religions?
Yes, mostly with their historical offices, archives and organizations.
Does the Museum have an opinion on whether religion has been good or bad for the country?
No. We state that “religion has been one of the greatest forces throughout American history, for good and ill.”
Will the Museum charge an entrance fee?
Yes, but modest.
Is the Museum the same as the Museum of the Bible?
No.
Is the Museum affiliated with the Christian Nation movement
No.
Does the Museum take a stance on whether America would be better off if more of its citizens were “religious”?
No.
