Religious competition, not innate piety, drives American religiosity

Evidence

This might come as a surprise to many, but Americans have not been as religious as they are today. Roger Finke and Rodney Stark emphasize the role of religious competition in the dramatic expansion of religiosity in America since 1776.27 Those familiar with American religious movements today know that competition among religious institutions for membership has been a long-time feature of American life. The devoutness of Americans today, compared to, say, the religiously indifferent Northern Europeans, could be at least partly the result of the open competition of religious institutions found in America. The vibrant evangelical sects, such as the Pentecostal Church, owe much of their success to America’s vigorously defended religious freedom. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 490

Categorization

• CANDY: Counterintuitive and quotable: Americans weren’t always this religious—1776 is the baseline—great elevator fact.