What does this painting tell us about the importance of religion in American society?

John Steuart Curry, Baptism in Kansas, 1928.

Oil on canvas, 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm).

Whitney Museum of American Art

Questions:

1. Who was J.S. Curry?
2. What is a "baptism"?
3. What was Kansas like in the 1920s?
4. Who are the people shown do you think?
5. Is this a positive depiction of the event?