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Beyerlein, K., Soule, A.S., and Martin, N. (2015). Prayers, Protest, and Police: How Religion Influences Police Presence at Collective Action Events in the United State, 1960 to 1995. American Sociological Review. 80 (6): 1250–1271.

Learning Objective: LO 13-5: Discuss religion in the United States, including trends in affiliation and disestablishment, and the practice of civil religion.

Summary: Analyzing quantitative data on over 15000 protests in the United States from 1960 to 1995, the authors assess whether police approached religious-based protest events differently than secular ones. Although results varied by religious denomination and race of religious protesters, the findings suggest that there are protective effects for participants of religious-based protest events.

Questions to Consider:

1. According to the researchers, how does the public, or police officers, view religious protesters? And how do they view secular protesters?
2. What is the concept of “privileged legitimacy” for religious protesters? How does “privileged legitimacy” of religious protesters compare to the legitimacy of law enforcement officers actively policing protests?
3. In the discussion of how religious protesters differ from secular protesters, what are the differences in the expected behavior of these two groups? According to the authors, why are their differences in protester behavior?
4. In considering the concept of “level of protester threat,” according to the authors, which group is perceived as more dangerous, religious protesters or secular protesters? Why may this be the case?