Podcast: Did Protestant missionaries plant the seeds of democracy around the world?

MR says: LDS people have long hinted at the correlation between the one-time East German temple and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It seems religion in general has helped with democratization.

Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? Prof. Robert Woodberry takes us on a historical tour-de-force around the globe showing how "conversionary Protestants" helped to promote literacy, spread printing technology, facilitate civic organization, defend religious and civil liberties, and protest the abuses of slavery and colonialism. We discuss how this happened and why Protestants were uniquely situated to do this, although we look at similar Catholic efforts in recent decades. We conclude with speculative thoughts about the Arab Spring.

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