I am a political scientist, who studies religion, and I also happen to be a mom to a fantastic 11-year-old boy. So when I heard about new polling on differences between Democrats and Republicans on the most important values to teach our children, it was like hitting the data trifecta. Statistics on religion, politics, AND parenting? Yes, please.
Unsurprisingly, there were some sharp partisan differences in the most important values Republicans and Democrats want to teach our children. But as someone whose community-based research on religion has meant attending a number of religious services from various denominations, I couldn’t help but be struck by the results. Democrats want to teach children to “treat others as they would like to be treated” whereas Republicans want to teach children to have “faith in God.” Independents are in the middle, as per usual, but leaning more towards the “Golden Rule” side of things.
Continue Reading