No disrespect intended to the people of Pennsylvania, but honestly: Since I started this blog, I’ve noticed that no state outdoes Pennsylvania in the number of news-reported sex attacks by clergy. What’s that about?
I don’t live anywhere near the Keystone State (sometimes called the Quaker State, take your pick), so it’s probably not a matter of Google reading my IP address and serving up search results that emphasize the state.
By the way, I have no known biases against Pennsylvania. I’ve traveled through it many a time, and feel neither exceedingly positive nor terribly negative about it.
I’m also not trying to suggest a link between religiosity and crime; if that were my goal, I’d try another state, because Pennsylvania is the tenth-least-religious state in the union, according to this 2008 Gallup poll.
My observation regarding sex crimes in Pennsylvania is entirely anecdotal, based on just two months of closely following news of religious crimes, so it may not translate into actual statistics. If there is a correlation, I doubt I’d be able to explain it, but I’m inviting anybody with a decent theory to chime in.