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Caleb J. D. Maskell Notes on Robert Putnams Tanner Lecture #210.28.10 // Princeton University
1
Religious Americans are nicer and happier, though less tolerant. Why?
The
puzzl
e
is do
e
s r
e
ligion contribut
e
to d
em
ocratic vitality in A
me
rica?Bad n
ew
s, fro
m
t
he
point of vi
ew
of d
em
ocratic valu
e
s: t
he
cas
e
is t
h
at, on av
e
rag
e
,r
e
ligious A
me
ricans ar
e
so
mewh
at l
e
ss tol
e
rant of diss
e
nt t
h
an non-r
e
ligiousA
me
ricans. Ho
we
v
e
r, tol
e
ranc
e
of diss
e
nt/diff
e
r
e
nc
e
a
m
ong young
e
r r
e
ligiousp
e
opl
e
is rising, just as it is a
m
ong s
e
cular p
e
opl
e
.Good n
ew
s, fro
m
t
he
point of vi
ew
of d
em
ocratic valu
e
s: R
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
b
e
tt
e
rn
e
ig
h
bors, b
e
tt
e
r citiz
e
ns,
e
tc.
y
Hig
h
r
e
ligiosity pr
e
dicts
h
ig
h
l
e
v
e
ls of volunt
ee
ris
m
, for bot
h
r
e
ligious
and
s
e
cular caus
e
s (fro
m
c
h
urc
h
groups to
he
lping t
he
poor to n
e
ig
h
bor
h
oodgroups to
he
alt
h
car
e
to arts & cultural organizations). In s
h
ort, r
e
ligiousp
e
opl
e
ar
e
2x-3x
m
or
e
lik
e
ly to volunt
ee
r t
h
an non-r
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
.
y
R
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
also
m
or
e
lik
e
ly to giv
e
m
on
e
y to r
e
ligious
and
s
e
cularcaus
e
s t
h
an s
e
cular p
e
opl
e
.
y
R
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
m
or
e
lik
e
ly to b
e
civic
leaders
, in bot
h
r
e
ligious andpolitical organizations, as
we
ll as participants in t
h
os
e
organizations.
y
R
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
m
or
e
activ
e
in r
e
for
m
ist
m
ov
eme
nts (local politicalprobl
em
s) t
h
an s
e
cularistsin ot
he
r
w
ords,
h
ig
h
r
e
ligious activis
m
is not pri
m
arily about st
e
r
e
otypical cons
e
rvativ
e
r
e
ligious caus
e
s lik
e
pick
e
tingabortion clinics,
e
tc.
y
And on and on and onr
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
b
e
tt
e
r citiz
e
ns.
y
Th
is is not tru
e
just a
m
ong cons
e
rvativ
e
s, but a
m
ong cons
e
rvativ
e
s andlib
e
rals. [
The
h
ard
e
st-
w
orking citiz
e
ns ar
e
r
e
ligious lib
e
rals, but t
he
r
e
ar
e
nt
m
any of t
hem
any
m
or
e
.
The
book by Art
h
ur Brooks t
h
at argu
e
s t
h
at cons
e
rvativ
e
s ar
e
m
or
e
g
e
n
e
rous and
h
ard
w
orking t
h
an lib
e
rals s
h
ould b
e
call
e
d into qu
e
stion in a big
w
ay.]So far, so
wh
at?: R
e
ligious p
e
opl
e
ar
e
l
e
ss tol
e
rant t
h
an s
e
cular p
e
opl
e
, but t
he
y ar
e
a lot
m
or
e
lik
e
ly t
h
an s
e
cular p
e
opl
e
to do all of t
he
ot
he
r t
h
ings t
h
at good n
e
ig
h
borsand good citiz
e
ns ar
e
t
h
oug
h
t to do.W
h
y? It is:
y
N
ot r
e
ligious tradition / d
e
no
m
ination
o
Ho
w
m
uc
h
r
e
ligiont
h
at is,
h
o
w
m
uc
h
on
e
att
e
nds s
e
rvic
e
s
m
att
e
rsfar
m
or
e
t
h
an
wh
ic
h
r
e
ligion
y
N
ot political id
e
ology
o
L
ib
e
rals ar
e
m
or
e
g
e
n
e
rous
y
N
ot t
he
ology
o
It is not about b
e
li
e
f in God,
he
av
e
n,
he
ll, psyc
h
ological i
m
portanc
e
of r
e
ligion to id
e
ntity, scriptur
e
r
e
ading, pray
e
r,
w
orry about sin.
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