I wasn't looking for data to respond to the religion-bashing that we enjoy now and then around here, but I happened across some that seemed too good to ignore. It is from Robert Putnam's Social Capital Benchmark Survey, which can be found in various places online.
Here are some of the findings, which I believe add up to a very clear pattern of self-identified religious people doing far more for the greater good than non-religous people. I'm not arguing that religion makes people better; only that there is a strong correlation between being religious and creating social good. * Religious people are far more likely (30 percent v. 15 percent) to volunteer for the needy. * Many more religious people are active in non-religious volunteer work than non-religious people (50 percent v. 35 percent). * Contributions to charity are similar, but religious were slightly more likely to do so. * Religious are more involved in electoral politics. * Non-religious are very slightly more likely to be involved in protests. Nick -- Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voicemail: 408-904-7198 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
