How Americans Talk about Separation of Church and State: Moral Frameworks of Justice and Care. Issue 2 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hull, Kathleen E.; Edgell, Penny
• Is Part Of: Sociological quarterly. Volume 62:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 258
• Page End: 281
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Morality; religion; law; church-state separation; culture wars; Sociology -- Periodicals; 301.05
• DOI: 10.1080/00380253.2020.1733449
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-0253

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper draws on data from 12 focus group discussions of a faith-based prison ministry program to examine how ordinary Americans talk about the separation of church and state. The focus groups – conducted in Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Boston – revealed that program supporters and opponents draw on different moral frameworks, with supporters focusing on a framework of care and opponents focusing on a framework of justice. The findings affirm the centrality of moral concerns in shaping citizen stances on church-state separation and suggest that meaningful political compromise is possible on the issue of government support of faith-based social services.