At least according to most Americans. The
full report of the Pew
Religious Landscape Survey has some data not available on the website. There is a question of the form:
When it comes to questions of right and wrong, which of the following do you look to most for guidance? I think the results will surprise....
| | Religious teachings & beliefs | Philosophy & reason | Practical experience & common sense | Scientific Information | Don't know/Refused |
| Evangelical | 52 | 4 | 39 | 2 | 3 |
| Mainline | 24 | 9 | 59 | 4 | 4 |
| Historically Black | 43 | 4 | 47 | 3 | 3 |
| Catholic | 22 | 10 | 57 | 7 | 5 |
| Mormon | 58 | 4 | 33 | 2 | 3 |
| Orthodox | 25 | 11 | 52 | 8 | 5 |
| Jehovah's Witness | 73 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 5 |
| Other Christian | 19 | 25 | 42 | 7 | 4 |
| Jewish | 10 | 15 | 60 | 9 | 6 |
| Muslim | 33 | 10 | 41 | 14 | 2 |
| Buddhist | 4 | 27 | 51 | 12 | 5 |
| Hindu | 9 | 15 | 55 | 18 | 4 |
| Other Faiths | 5 | 25 | 58 | 8 | 4 |
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 16 | 66 | 10 | 3 |
America is the land of pragmatism I guess.
Addendum: I want to make clear that I'm not assuming a Blank Slate model where the sources of moral intuition or reason that people offer up is actually the real source, as opposed to a post facto confabulation. The survey is simply interesting to me as a window into the public's own self-perception.
Labels: Religion
