Protestant Antipathies

The average U. S. Protestant feels aversion to believers of creeds other than his own in the following order:

1) Atheist 2) Mohammedan 3) Buddhist 4) Mormon 5) Spiritualist Episcopal 6) Roman Catholic 7) Jew 8) Greek Orthodox 9) Christian Scientist 10) Unitarian 11) Adventist 12) Universalist 13) Pentecostal 14) Salvation Army 15) Protestant Episcopal 16) Disciple 17) Lutheran 18) Friend 19) Baptist 20) Congregational 21) Presbyterian 22) Methodist

This statistical finding appears in a book by Dr. Harlan Paul Douglass, 59, research director of the Institute of Social & Religious Research, Manhattan* issued last week by the Institute. The book is a thoroughgoing survey of church federations of 24 cities and two States. The federations had asked the Institute to inspect their condition. Dr. Douglass found their condition unsatisfactory. After more than 20 years activities there is a "general avoidance of any attempt to find a basic philosophical and religious ground-work" for the federation movement. As a rule worshippers are more willing than ministers to cooperate in federations. The clergy "are afraid of the warm-hearted irresponsibility of their lay constituents--perhaps also of their own better natures." It was to ferret out the cause of denominational failure to cooperate that Mr. Douglass made his search into antipathies. Besides discovering the above scale of Protestant general aversions, he found that Protestants would just as soon marry Roman Catholics as Jews, but preferred Jewish or Catholic spouses to Mormons, atheists, Buddhists or Mohammedans. However, they would rather marry atheists than aliens.

For President of the U. S. Protestants prefer a Jew to a Roman Catholic.

Of all their dislikes the greatest is that of entrusting their children for upbringing to a member of another denomination or of another faith.

As regards the amount of antipathy felt by individual denominations for others:

"The Episcopalian and the Lutheran are harder on the Baptist, the Congregationalist, the Presbyterian and the Methodist, than these latter denominations are on one another. But the Lutheran and the Episcopalian discriminate to an equal extent against one another. The Episcopalian also shows notable antipathy to the Quaker, presumably because the forms of religious worship of the two are so antithetical.

"With regard to the nonevangelical Protestant bodies, the sterner judgments come from the more Calvinistic sources, or from religious bodies whose antecedents are non-English-speaking.

"The more rigid and Calvinistic bodies also feel wider separation from the irregular Protestants.

"Toward members of the Greek Orthodox Church . . . the Episcopalians alone among Protestant bodies show special favor.

"Protestant antipathy to Jews runs very equally from denomination to denomination. Toward Catholics, however, the Lutheran and the Episcopalian are appreciably more favorable than are other Protestants.

"Five groups, the atheist, the Mohammedan, the Buddhist, the Mormon, and the Spiritualist . . . are disapproved cordially and with one accord."

-*Protestant Cooperation in American Cities, $3.50.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.