I am a political scientist, who studies religion, and I also happen to be a mom to a fantastic 11-year-old boy. So when I heard about new polling on differences between Democrats and Republicans on the most important values to teach our children, it was like hitting the data trifecta. Statistics on religion, politics, AND parenting? Yes, please.  

Unsurprisingly, there were some sharp partisan differences in the most important values Republicans and Democrats want to teach our children. But as someone whose community-based research on religion has meant attending a number of religious services from various denominations, I couldn’t help but be struck by the results. Democrats want to teach children to “treat others as they would like to be treated” whereas Republicans want to teach children to have “faith in God.” Independents are in the middle, as per usual, but leaning more towards the “Golden Rule” side of things.

At the risk of veering outside my lane as a social scientist and professor, looking at these data, I can’t help but remember a sermon I once heard about the “Two Great Commandments.” For those who like to go right to the source, the original story is found in the book of Matthew in the New Testament, Chapter 22:34-40. The religious leaders of the day were trying to trick Jesus by asking him what the most important commandment was. He answered by saying that the first great commandment is to love God. But he didn’t stop there. He went on to say that the second great commandment is to love your neighbor. In fact, “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (v. 40, KJV); everything else is just details.

I wonder if the respondents to this survey didn’t feel a little like they were being tricked themselves, having to pick just one thing in response to the question “From this list, which one of the following do you believe is the most important value or lesson to teach children?” Because for some Christians, these two great commandments might have crossed their minds: love God AND love your neighbor. Have faith in God AND treat others as they would like to be treated.

But instead of looking at these data and seeing yet another instance of a polarized country that is impossibly divided, perhaps we can see something different. I’ve spent more than a decade doing community-based research with places of worship in Little Rock, Arkansas. One thing that I have learned is that there are a lot of good people who care about each other and their communities. Data from my new book, Faith and Community (Temple University Press, 2024), show that congregations with greater ideological diversity are more likely to serve together and to feel a sense of efficacy—like their voices matter. Those congregations may be just the kind of places that are bringing together Republicans who value faith in God the most with Democrats who value the Golden Rule the most. Instead of being places of division, they are places where people united their complementary skills and values for the greater good. Working together, they can do so much good for their congregations, their communities, and democracy.