Brookings' Public Religion Research Institute has found good news and bad in a new poll surveying Americans' attitude toward religion. The good news is that 88% agree that the country was founded on principles of religious liberty for everyone, even those of unpopular faiths. Good too (I guess) is the 66% that believe there should be a "strict separation" of church and state (what do the other 34% want?). The bad news is a broad mistrust of American Muslims.
Americans are evenly divided over whether the values of Islam are at odds with American values and way of life (47 percent agree, 48 percent disagree).
Approximately two-thirds of Republicans, Americans who identify with the Tea Party movement, and Americans who most trust Fox News agree that the values of Islam are at odds with American values. A majority of Democrats, Independents, and those who most trust CNN or public television disagree.
Read more here.
