>Yes, but much of American Protestantism is deeply individualistic - it's all about one's direct relation to God, with little institutional mediation. At least the Catholic Church runs good hospitals and nursing homes - I'm trying to think of a socially useful contribution of the Baptists. Maybe someone can help me out.
Church keeps them off the streets, that's a useful contribution to society. We have a fair few baptists in Bracknell actually, I know because my missus, who has Lutheran heritage, hates Baptists. She won't let the kids attend any activities organised by the baptists, 'cause she reckons they brainwash them. They do seem to organise a lot of events for kids. personally I reckon the biggest problem would be paedophiles.
Anyhow, that's a digression. American Protestantism would be deeply individualistic because American culture is individualistic. My analysis is that religion is (or was) the *vehicle* for culture. Its a mode of transmission from generation to generation. The real interesting question is why, in an advanced capitalist country like the US, this vehicle persists to be so pervasive. It is being replaced in other advanced capitalist countries, because in a rapidly changing world, a dogmatic method of passing cultural mores from one generation to the next doesn't work very well. And in the modern world there are other possibilities opening up.
Perhaps religion has had longer to adapt to capitalism in the US? It is holding the society back though, something has to give soon.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas