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Americans feel the same way about Muslims today as they did about Mormons three years ago, says a new study.
Both religions tout health codes, preach against premarital sex, date back to founding prophets and quote their own scriptures — and both are seeing more acceptance among Americans, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Wednesday.
But, then, most religions are gaining favor in the U.S. Americans who rated a variety of faith groups on a "feeling thermometer" ranging from 0 to 100 assigned Muslims a 48 — the same "temperature" given to Mormons in June 2014. Since then, feelings toward Mormons have jumped to 54 .
Muslims, the lowest-rated group, had been pegged at 40 in 2014, one degree shy of the 41 rating attached to atheists, who saw their new number rise to 50. The fact that Muslims are viewed more favorably doesn't surprise Imam Shuaib-ud Din, of the Utah Islamic Center in Sandy. He referenced various studies showing similar increases — despite acts of terrorism in San Bernardino, Calif., and Orlando, Fla.
"Positive Muslim role models" were brought into the public eye, he said, when boxing legend Muhammad Ali died and when Khizr and Ghazala Khan — whose U.S. soldier-son died in Iraq — took on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's views at the Democratic National Convention.
"The more [President] Donald Trump speaks against Muslims, the more people's attitudes are shifting in favor of Muslims, at least among the Democrats and independents," the imam explained. "He is doing us a favor. I think God is playing his trump card."
Jews (67) and Catholics (66) continue to receive the warmest ratings, the survey showed. Evangelical Christians were the only group whose rating has stayed steady at 61 since 2014. Buddhists and Hindus also gained favor and were rated 60 and 58, respectively, while mainline Protestants, who were not rated in 2014, notched a 65 in the new survey.
Mormon writer and Religion News Service senior columnist Jana Riess, who is working on a study about LDS millennials, found interest in the survey's breakdown by age group. Younger respondents, below age 30, rated their coolest feelings toward Mormons (54) and their warmest were aimed at Buddhists (66).
While their rating for Mormons was not all that low, Riess pointed out that more "open-minded" religions were viewed more favorably among young people. It makes her wonder if political agendas played a part in how the younger generation views religion.
Participants older than 65 expressed a more polarized view, putting Muslims and atheists at 44, while mainline Protestants registered at 75. They put Mormons at 59.
Members of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints earned their highest mark (66) from Jewish adherents and their lowest (40) from atheists. People on both sides of the political spectrum see Mormons more favorably than they did in 2014, but left-leaning Americans view them as the most unfavorable religious group, while right-leaning participants consider Muslims the least favorable.
Twitter: @mnoblenews