Research On Religion | 2013

Archive for August, 2013

Robert Delahunty on Alexis de Tocqueville and Religion

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Alexis de Tocqueville, Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Catholicism, civil religion, democracy, evangelicals, France, French Revolution, Jacksonian era, legal reasoning, Niccolo Machiavelli, religion and politics, Rousseau, Second Great Awakening, Unitarians, United States, William Henry Channing

Prof. Robert Delahunty (University of St. Thomas) discusses the life and thought of Alexis de Tocqueville, particularly as it pertains to his views on religion and democracy. We discuss Tocqueville’s personal religious history and how this influenced his thought, as well as the observations he made with respect to the role of religion in a newly-formed democratic nation. Prof. Delahunty explores Tocqueville’s thoughts on church-state relations and the role of civil religion in comparison with Niccolo Machiavelli, and we reflect upon what Tocqueville’s observations recorded in America’s Jacksonian Era tell us about the role of religion in the U.S. today.

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Victor Gill on Why There Isn’t an Episode This Week

Tags: Baylor Bears, Houston Texans, Rocky the RoR mascot, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies

Tony’s son, Victor, guest hosts this week’s show to explain why there isn’t a show this week. He explains that a new episode will air next week, though. Even Walter Cronkite needed a break!

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Frank Newport on Survey Research and America’s Religiosity

Tags: AAPOR, dog tag religion, fertility, Gallup Poll, immigration, Millennials, non-denominationalism, opinion polls, public opinion, religious marketing, religious nones, response rates, sample size, sampling frame, survey research

Dr. Frank Newport, the Editor-in-Chief at Gallup, discusses the process of public opinion research and what it tells us about America’s changing religious landscape. We spend a significant amount of time discussing how polls are conducted, what their limitations are, and how survey companies like Gallup try to overcome these problems. This is a fantastic primer for those who are unfamiliar with survey research. We spend the second half of the interview discussing Dr. Newport’s book, “God Is Alive & Well,” which argues that America is still a vibrantly spiritual nation.

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Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches

Our favorite religious journalist, Jeremy Lott of RealClearReligion.org (and more), joins us to talk about his experience attending a religious service of the Latter Day Saints prior to the November 2012 election. Given that so many pundits were talking about Mitt Romney and the “Mormon moment,” Jeremy thought it would be useful to observe what life is really like within a Mormon ward. We also talk about Jeremy’s impressions of Pope Francis and share some of our insights about the world’s ugliest churches.

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