Pew study is good news for the common good
In case you're still not convinced, there's more evidence today that people of faith have enough in common to come together at the table of public discourse and embrace their shared values.
So say data released in part two of the Pew Forum's monumental Religious Landscape Survey. First impressions of the results are good...there is ample encouragement for Americans who would use their faith to build bridges, rather than torch them.
On the following key points, researchers found agreement among most Americans as well as most religious groups (and if not a majority among all groups, at least a significant plurality):
62% of Americans "favor the government doing more to help needy Americans, even if it means going deeper in debt."61% "say tougher environmental laws are worth the cost."
59% "say good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace."
62% "reject the notion that religion causes more problems in society than it solves" while 68% are frustrated with the way our political system operates.
String these numbers together and what do you get? Solid evidence that Americans are tired of the politics of division, see religion as a force for good and agree on enough of the day's issues to move forward for the common good.
The study doesn't gloss over points of division--faithful Americans still disagree on issues like abortion and homosexuality--but we can take away hope in the knowledge that Americans from all backgrounds are hungry for new solutions and common ground.
Political and religious leaders, take note: we won't be divided as easily as in the past. A message to this year's candidates: leave the wedge issue politics behind, because the voters already have.
For more on results of the Pew Forum study, check out these sources of early coverage:
