Tocqueville, Religion, and<i>Democracy in America</i>: Some Essential Questions

Schleifer, James T.

doi:10.1086/677733

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…According to Tocqueville, this strength was rooted in the country's separation of church and state, whereby religious actors and institutions kept their distance from politics and government. As was articulated to Tocqueville by a Catholic priest in Michigan: “[The] less religion and its ministers are mixed up with government, the less they are involved in political debate, the more influential religious ideas will become” (Schleifer 2014, 258).…”

Section: The Negative Consequences Of Politicized Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When religious actors engage with politics, what are the consequences for religion? As far back as the 1800s, Tocqueville argued in his treatise on American democracy that churches connected to government and politics would alienate the public and undermine religiosity (Schleifer 2014). Consistent with this claim, contemporary research on Christianity in the United States and Europe shows that religion's social influence can weaken when churches are tied to the state or when church leaders are associated with political parties and factions (Campbell et al 2018; Djupe, Neiheisel, and Conger 2018; Gill 2001; Hout and Fischer 2002; Patrikios 2008; Smith 2015; Stark and Iannaccone 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Preaching Politics: How Politicization Undermines Religious Authority in the Middle East

Williamson

Yıldırım

Grewal

et al. 2022

Brit. J. Polit. Sci.

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A growing body of research demonstrates that political involvement by Christian religious leaders can undermine the religion's social influence. Do these negative consequences of politicization also extend to Islam? Contrary to scholarly and popular accounts that describe Islam as inherently political, we argue that Muslim religious leaders will weaken their religious authority when they engage with politics. We test this argument with a conjoint experiment implemented on a survey of more than 12,000 Sunni Muslim respondents in eleven Middle Eastern countries. The results show that connections to political issues or politically active religious movements decrease the perceived religious authority of Muslim clerics, including among respondents who approve of the clerics' political views. The article's findings shed light on how Muslims in the Middle East understand the relationship between religion and politics, and they contribute more broadly to understanding of how politicized religious leaders can have negative repercussions for religion.

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Section: The Negative Consequences Of Politicized Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Preaching Politics: How Politicization Undermines Religious Authority in the Middle East

Williamson

Yıldırım

Grewal

et al. 2022

Brit. J. Polit. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Christianity in the United States has significantly influenced its culture, society, and legislative processes [1]. Almost every U.S. president has belonged to a Christian denomination and regularly attended church services, from George Washington to Joseph Biden, except Thomas Jefferson, a deist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protestant Influence on American Elitism and Democracy

Jiang

2023

LNEP

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Protestantism is essential in US history and politics and predominantly affects how the American government and people behave. This paper focuses on how Protestant theology and churches affect the politics of the US by discussing the historical background of some denominations in America, the elitism in politics from church traditions, and the dual influence of Protestantism on democracy. Using literature research methodology, the paper concluded that Protestant Christianity, especially the Reformed church, has a considerable impact on US education, politics, and democracy that anyone who wants to analyze American politics cannot ignore. Also, the work ethic derived from Protestantism suggests that Protestant values have contributed to the development of capitalism and industrialization in the United States. Meanwhile, the research of different denominations can help people understand seperation of some states and parties. The research paper provides a perspective for readers to consider America a religiously affected country that cultures and policies are nearly all under Christian influences.

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Do they practise what they preach? Public perceptions of American evangelicalism

Allen

2024

Religion, State and Society

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Tocqueville, Religion, andDemocracy in America: Some Essential Questions

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Preaching Politics: How Politicization Undermines Religious Authority in the Middle East

Preaching Politics: How Politicization Undermines Religious Authority in the Middle East

Protestant Influence on American Elitism and Democracy

Do they practise what they preach? Public perceptions of American evangelicalism

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