In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus sets a new standard for tolerance and even loving kindness toward those who we might have traditionally thought of as enemies. Whereas Americans used to harbor deep suspicions of those whose religion differed from their own, a new study from Pew Research Center suggests warmer feelings now exist for nearly every major religious group.

Whereas Mormons received a “neutral” rating of 48 in June 2014, that’s now risen to 54 percent of Americans who say they have a positive view of the LDS faith. This six-point gain has moved Mormons toward the “warm” side of the spectrum, according to Pew.

Almost every religious group received higher marks this time around, though, with the exception of evangelical Christianity, which remained flat at 61. The biggest gains were made by atheists (41 to 50), Muslims (40 to 48), and Hindus (50 to 58). However, Mormons rank dead last among the 18-to-29 year old demographic, whose 54 rating for Mormons was their lowest of any religion. Mormonism’s highest rating was with the 65+ age group, which gave it a 59 percent approval rating.

Evangelical Christians are the only group for which the mean rating did not change since the question was last asked in 2014. Americans’ feelings toward Mormons and Hindus have shifted from relatively neutral places on the thermometer to somewhat warmer ratings of 54 and 58, respectively. Ratings of Buddhists rose from 53 to 60. And mainline Protestants, whom respondents were not asked to rate in 2014, receive a warm rating of 65 in the new survey.

The increase in ratings is broad based. Warmer feelings are expressed by people in all the major religious groups analyzed, as well as by both Democrats and Republicans, men and women, and younger and older adults.

However, the ratings given to particular religious groups still vary widely depending on who is being asked.  For example, young adults—those ages 18 to 29—express warmer feelings toward Muslims than older Americans do. Moreover, young adults rate all of the groups in the study within a relatively tight range, from 54 degrees for Mormons to 66 for Buddhists. By contrast, older Americans (ages 65 and older) rate some religious groups, such as mainline Protestants (75) and Jews (74), very warmly, and others, such as Muslims and atheists (44 degrees each), much more coolly.

Lessons drawn from the readings

The reading from the Book of Leviticus instructs the reader to “cherish no grudge,” but instead to “love your neighbor as yourself.” When it comes to religious identity, it sounds as if younger Americans might be taking that message more to heart, with their more tolerant ratings, than their older compatriots—or is it just that they don’t care all that much about religious identity?

Final thought in light of the news

We’ve come a long way as a society from the days our grandparents were discouraged from “fraternizing with the enemy”—for Catholics, that would have included most Protestants and certainly Jewish people, not to mention “those other” religions. We’ve come a long way from the era when a Catholic running for president raised alarm bells for many non-Catholics. But have we journeyed to a place of true religious tolerance, or landed more in an era of religious indifference? Have we truly learned to love our “enemies,” or have we just learned to ignore our neighbor? The verdict is still out on those questions.