Immediately after seeing two passenger jets smash into New York's World Trade Center last year, many people began to pray.
No matter what their faith, most Americans turned to God to try to make sense of the unthinkable, according to a Gallup Organization survey.
Indeed, 75 percent of Americans throughout our diverse landscape of cultures and religions told Gallup they prayed "more frequently and fervently" than usual after Sept. 11.
Even in publicly funded places such as schools and government offices it became OK to pray and talk about God. To the dismay of some, the strictures separating church and state were suddenly relaxed ---- just as they have been during other times of national crisis.
However, while the horrors of World War II spurred nearly 75 percent of Americans to become members of religious groups through the 1950s, the immediate spike of religious fervor after Sept. 11 has not continued, according to Gallup statistics.
"The public's perception is that religion has greatly increased its influence on U.S. society," wrote George Gallup Jr., co-chairman of the Gallup Poll, in a Jan. 29 article summarizing the research. Even so, he said, "there appears to be little evidence of a religious revival or awakening."
Attacks on U.S. soil often refocus us on shared values and culture, said U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido. In good times, "we take for granted things that hold us together as a country, as American people," he said. Then when tragedy strikes, "it grounds us."
During congressional floor speeches after Sept. 11, Cunningham said "at least every other one mentioned God, like 'Thank you, God,' 'God bless America.'" Since then, he said, references to God have tapered off.
Last September, President Bush set the religious tone by asking Americans to pray. He was following a tradition set at least half a century earlier, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in prayer by radio on June 6, 1944, during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.
"Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer," Roosevelt said then. "But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a countenance of prayer.
"As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips."
Calling out to God in times of crisis "creates social cohesion," said sociologist Terry Humphrey, chairwoman of Palomar College's behavioral sciences department. "When there's an outside attack, people tend to pull together."
"Religion makes order out of chaos," said Rabbi Ted Riter of Temple Solel in Encinitas. "Jews have a lot of experience in trauma in difficult times. We know what it's like to be persecuted, and we turn to what gives order to our lives."
"Feelings of insecurity and the fragility of life makes people look to spiritual questions, generally," said Gene Sager of Vista, director of the religious studies program at Palomar College.
Conversely, "in times of prosperity, people tend to forget God," said Doug Clark of Rancho Bernardo, director of field ministries for National Network of Youth Ministries. "Personally, I think that when we feel desperate, we are much more likely to turn to prayer."
The Youth Ministries group, based in Carmel Mountain Ranch, helps promote the annual See You At the Pole prayer event at schools, which began in 1990.
This year's event is Sept. 18.
A week after the Sept. 11 attacks, more than 3 million students gathered at their campus flag poles across the nation for See You at the Pole, Clark said. Usually, the student-led prayers focus on school life. But last year, students asked God to comfort the victims' families, protect the country and give wisdom to the nation's leaders, he said.
With a majority of the nation calling out to God for help last September, the separation of church and state became more relaxed. Chuck Klein, an Escondido resident and national director of the Christian organization Student Venture, said he witnessed the relaxed approach to church and state even in New York City where the division between religion and publicly funded institutions is typically strong.
After the community was devastated by the terrorist attacks, students were looking for comfort and solace, and state employees welcomed the help of religious organizations, he said.
Riter also noticed that schools and the government had relaxed the long-standing separation between church and state. That observation, he said, was "very upsetting."
Though his profession is helping people learn about God, he said, the "mixing of religion and government should not be."
Besides isolating those who don't practice any religious beliefs, he said, bringing religion into public institutions secularizes God ---- and that includes saying "under God" in the pledge of Allegiance.
That phrase was added to the pledge in 1954 during a period that Gallup called a "religious revival," ushered in by World War II.
The current war on terrorism might not have the same long-term impact on religion. While local ministers have reported that some parishioners have strengthened their faith since Sept. 11, that does not necessarily translate to more people in the pews.
Attendance at religious services at churches, mosques, temples and synagogues spiked to 47 percent in September, according to Gallup. By December, attendance had returned to its normal level of 41 percent.