The Massachusetts Situation

Abstract

Nlassachusetts takes pride in its From the celebrated Boston Tea Party to more recent times, the state has revelled in its heritage of giving birth to a nation, its freedom trails, town meetings, and pioneer valleys. Also, it relishes going against the grain. Bay Staters will still remind you that Massachusetts was the only state in the nation that voted for McGovern and against Nixon in 1972 (bumpersticker: Don't blame me. I'm from Massachusetts), although they have far less to say these days about their support for native son Michael Dukakis in his bid for the presidency. Politics in the state is never dull, and usually lives up to its reputation for being unlike politics anywhere else in the country. Religiously, too, the state has a distinctive heritage. Of the four states examined in The Third Disestablishment, Massachusetts is distinctive in three important ways: 1) The state is significantly more liberal religiously. Historically influenced by religious groups that were to become America's liberal Protestant denominations, it is characterized still by an open-minded and rather tolerant religious climate. Massachusetts leads the way in having the lowest scores for religious orthodoxy, the lowest scores for personal piety as measured by saying grace and reading the Bible, and the highest scores for individual autonomy. 2) Historically the state has experienced dramatic changes in its religious establishment. No other state has a religious history reaching farther into the past, or a history of so many changing hegemonies. As Hammond observes, the transformation from a Puritan stronghold to a significantly Catholic state is one of the most astonishing changes in the annals of religious history. 3) In recent years, as well, Massachusetts has experienced the greatest religious changeover. Here we refer to the impressive growth in the past several decades of conservative Protestants who now nearly equal liberal and moderate Protestants, and to the striking increase in the number of non-adherents. The new conservative Protestants and those falling away are, as might be expected, disproportionately ex-Catholics. Yet there are, as Hammond observes, some curious features. These features are most apparent when we compare Massachusetts with California, the two states among the four that in many respects are most alike. Still, there are differences. Massachusetts has a higher level of parish involvement than does California, but people in California are more likely than those from the Bay State to say that religion is important in their lives (47% vs. 37%). So levels of institutional involvement are higher in Massachusetts,