Jane Addams: Secular Fellowship

In this post, I would just like to comment a bit on the question of whether Jane Addams' motives were religious or secular. I believe that her motives were secular, but she found inspiration in religion: she understood the benefits of religion to the individual, and transferred those ideas to Hull House.

As we have talked about in class, one of the characteristics of organized religion is that it gives members a sense of identity—that, among the wide array of people, there are those that share similar, if not the same beliefs. This comradery is strengthened by the identification of a meeting place which all the members share. Over time, however, in some religions, the comradery stems mostly from the outward traditions, not always the inward beliefs. It is this "fellowship" that can strengthen communities, thus creating a more efficient society.

Jane Addams recognized this advantage to religion when she joined the Presbyterian church. Although she did not agree with all of the doctrine, she "long[ed] for an outward symbol of fellowship, some bond of peace, some blessed spot where unity of spirit might claim right of way over all differences." She realized that it was not really strict adherence to doctrine (although some adherence is necessary) which brought the members of the Presbyterian church together, but simply that they all outwardly identified with the same institution.

At Hull House, Addams realized that this kind of fellowship was needed in the neighborhood. She hoped, "that it should unite in the fellowship of the deed those of widely differing religious beliefs." While this at first may seem to be a religiously motivated statement, it is actually secular. She wanted those who previously identified themselves with different groups to realize that one of the reasons for religious identification was the benefit of fellowship, and that fellowship could be found anywhere, and among people an individual had previously thought to have nothing in common with. Therefore, while she recognized fellowship among religious groups, one of the reasons Addams founded Hull House was to create a similar fellowship free from specific religious association.