217. Surveying the Saints — A Conversation with Josh Coates
May 25, 2024
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Computer scientist and entrepreneur Josh Coates discusses the survey results of active and former Latter-day Saints, highlighting two distinct belief clusters within the community. The survey integrates Moral Foundations theory, revealing differences in ethical perspectives. The conversation explores the values each cluster brings to the Church and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives.
80% of active Latter-day Saints hold orthodox beliefs, while 20% express uncertainty and less traditional views.
Importance of fostering an inclusive church environment by accommodating varying beliefs and experiences.
Embracing faith diversity and promoting mutual understanding across different belief groups is crucial for unity.
Deep dives
Insights from the Clustering Analysis
The podcast episode explores a survey conducted by the B.H. Roberts Foundation that revealed two distinct clusters among active Latter-day Saints. Cluster One, comprising 80% of the respondents, demonstrated fairly orthodox beliefs and practices aligned with traditional LDS teachings. On the other hand, Cluster Two, representing 20% of the participants, exhibited more uncertainty and less conventional views, including doubts about God's existence or the literal historicity of the Book of Mormon. This clustering analysis shed light on the diversity within the LDS community, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and understanding varying perspectives and beliefs.
Considerations for Pastoral Approach
The discussion delves into the implications of these findings for pastoral care within LDS congregations. By recognizing the presence of individuals in both Cluster One and Cluster Two, there is an emphasis on fostering a more inclusive and empathetic church environment. The need to accommodate varying beliefs and experiences, without imposing uniformity or judgment, is highlighted as essential for creating a supportive and nurturing community where members from different clusters feel valued and accepted.
Reflecting on Faith Diversity and Mutual Understanding
Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities presented by the survey results, the conversation delves into the importance of embracing faith diversity and promoting mutual understanding across different belief groups. Rather than seeking to align individuals to a specific cluster or viewpoint, the emphasis is on fostering dialogue, respect, and acceptance within the LDS community. The distinction between Cluster One and Cluster Two serves as a reminder of the richness that diverse perspectives bring to the communal tapestry, emphasizing the value of unity amidst differences.
Morality and Moral Foundations Theory
Moral Foundations Theory, developed by Jonathan Haidt, explains how people reason about morality. The theory identifies five foundational values: harm, fairness, authority, loyalty, and purity. Individuals process moral questions based on these values, leading to distinct moral profiles. For example, former Latter-day Saints prioritize harm and fairness over authority, loyalty, and purity, while current Latter-day Saints emphasize sacredness and purity. Understanding these moral foundations can help comprehend why individuals hold specific beliefs.
Building Consensus and Addressing Differences
Consensus building, rooted in diverse moral perspectives, is essential for societal progress. A balanced approach that values loyalty, authority, and sacredness alongside harm and fairness fosters healthy community dynamics. Recognizing and discussing differing moral values, such as harm and fairness, can bridge divides. Embracing diversity within unity is a crucial challenge faced by faith communities, requiring tolerance for individual viewpoints and maintaining a shared sense of purpose.
This week, we’re sharing a fascinating conversation we had with Josh Coates, a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and founder of the BH Roberts Foundation. The BH Roberts Foundation is the non-profit behind Mormonr, a producer of Latter-day Saint media that tackles hard questions about the faith, as well as "LDSBot," an AI-driven chatbot that is able to handle just about any question about Latter-day Saint culture and theology shockingly well.
In February of this year, Josh and his colleague, Steven Cranney, published the results of yet another project: a survey of a representative sample of active and former Latter-day Saints that the BH Roberts Foundation conducted. The survey found that among active Latter-day Saints, two "clusters" emerged: 80% of the sample had fairly orthodox beliefs around God, the Church, and the historicity of the Book of Mormon, while 20% expressed more uncertainty and held less traditional views. The survey also integrated questions from Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations theory, which attempts to suss out how different kinds of people build their ethical perspectives. This part of the survey found some really fascinating differences here between active Latter-day Saints and former Latter-day Saints that we think could help us understand each other better.
We spent some time with Josh talking about the different values and gifts these two clusters of practicing members can bring to the Church. In Josh's view, neither group alone can bring to bear the full gifts of the community on its own: cluster one could help our community grow deep, strong roots, while cluster two could help us branch out, expand, and explore.
We're super grateful to Josh, Steven, and the rest of their team for their work on this survey, and to Josh for sharing more about it with us. There's a lot to dig into here, and as always, we hope that discussing differences can actually help see each other with more empathy and love.
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