A ‘Middle Way’ in American Life?
According to this article in the Christian Science Monitor, a recent study shows that many Americans are looking for a ‘middle way’ (sound familiar?) regarding the role of religion in public life in the United States. The article says:
A national survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life on Aug. 24 shows ambivalence about the relationship of religion to politics and social issues, and unhappiness with extreme positions. The public is not polarized into liberal and conservative camps, the poll suggests, but yearns to find middle ground on contentious social issues. There is distress about both ends of the political spectrum: 49 percent of American adults say conservatives are too assertive about trying to impose their religious values on the nation, yet 69 percent say liberals go too far in trying to keep religion out of schools and government.
I find this to be encouraging in showing that the American people are perhaps beginning to recognize that allowing our society to become so polarized is not the way that we are going to accomplish any long-terms goals about the issues that we face for the future. This is of course the same point that I was trying to make in my previous post about the Anglican Communion. The end of the article discusses some feelings about ‘hot button’ issues of the day, and is well worth reading.
