Godly
Choosing Sides: An Exploration of Role Conflict among Evangelical Democrats
Jeremy Rhodes
Sociology of Religion, Spring 2011, Pages 28-49
Abstract:
Evangelical Protestants have increasingly aligned with the Republican Party in their voting patterns and opinions since the late 1970s. As a result, this alignment of Evangelical Protestantism with the GOP could present a dilemma for Evangelical Democrats, whose religious and political identities are perceived by many to be in conflict with one another. Using data from the 2005 wave of the Baylor Religion Survey, the present study tests whether Evangelical Democrats seek to avoid role conflict by choosing between the religious and political components of their lives. Results find that Evangelical Democrats avoid role conflict by compromising both the political and religious components of their identity, maintaining religious and political beliefs that are largely more liberal than other Evangelicals but more conservative than other Democrats. Evangelical Democrats are also found to attend church significantly less than other Evangelicals and Democrats of other religious traditions. Implications for role conflict among Evangelical Democrats are discussed.
-----------------------
Religious and Spiritual Change in College: Assessing the Effect of a Science Education
Christopher Scheitle
Sociology of Education, April 2011, Pages 122-136
Abstract:
A long line of research has attempted to examine an assumed conflict between religious belief and scientific knowledge by assessing the religious beliefs of individuals with a high level of scientific training and education, such as faculty at universities. This research has established that there are differences in levels of religious belief across different disciplines, but because of data limitations it has not been able to adequately assess the causal nature of these differences. The research presented here overcomes these limitations using longitudinal data examining different dimensions of religious and spiritual belief among undergraduates. Using four latent variable concepts assessing both positive and negative dimensions of traditional and nontraditional forms of belief, the analysis shows no evidence that students in the natural sciences show a greater decrease in religious belief compared with students in other fields.
-----------------------
Jessica Tracy, Joshua Hart & Jason Martens
PLoS ONE, March 2011, e17349
Abstract:
The present research examined the psychological motives underlying widespread support for intelligent design theory (IDT), a purportedly scientific theory that lacks any scientific evidence; and antagonism toward evolutionary theory (ET), a theory supported by a large body of scientific evidence. We tested whether these attitudes are influenced by IDT's provision of an explanation of life's origins that better addresses existential concerns than ET. In four studies, existential threat (induced via reminders of participants' own mortality) increased acceptance of IDT and/or rejection of ET, regardless of participants' religion, religiosity, educational background, or preexisting attitude toward evolution. Effects were reversed by teaching participants that naturalism can be a source of existential meaning (Study 4), and among natural-science students for whom ET may already provide existential meaning (Study 5). These reversals suggest that the effect of heightened mortality awareness on attitudes toward ET and IDT is due to a desire to find greater meaning and purpose in science when existential threats are activated.
-----------------------
"Pray for Those Who Mistreat You": Effects of Prayer on Anger and Aggression
Ryan Bremner, Sander Koole & Brad Bushman
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, forthcoming
Abstract:
Although some religious teachings have been used to justify aggression, most religious teachings promote peace in human affairs. Three experiments tested the hypothesis that praying for others brings out the more peaceful side of religion by reducing anger and aggression after a provocation. In Experiment 1, praying for a stranger led provoked participants to report less anger than control participants who thought about a stranger. In Experiment 2, provoked participants who prayed for the person who angered them were less aggressive toward that person than were participants who thought about the person who angered them. In Experiment 3, provoked participants who prayed for a friend in need showed a less angry appraisal style than did people who thought about a friend in need. These results are consistent with recent evolutionary theories, which suggest that religious practices can promote cooperation among nonkin or in situations in which reciprocity is highly unlikely.
-----------------------
Immigrants' religious participation in the United States
Ilana Redstone Akresh
Ethnic and Racial Studies, April 2011, Pages 643-661
Abstract:
Using New Immigrant Survey 2003 data, I examine immigrants' religious participation once in the United States. This is the first large-scale study to consider this question quantitatively and to compare across origin groups; the findings are key to informing our knowledge of the religious lives of the foreign born. Results indicate that, after accounting for participation before coming to the US, time in the US exhibits a robust, positive association with an increase in religious participation, suggesting the continuing importance of religion in immigrants' adjustment, in spite of the disruptive event of migration.
-----------------------
Doing the Scut Work of Infant Care: Does Religiousness Encourage Father Involvement?
Alfred DeMaris, Annette Mahoney & Kenneth Pargament
Journal of Marriage and Family, April 2011, Pages 354-368
Abstract:
Considerable debate exists regarding whether religiousness promotes or impedes greater father involvement in parenting. Our study addresses this issue using a Midwestern longitudinal data set that tracks the transition to first parenthood for 169 married couples. We focus on performance of the "messier" tasks of infant care. We find little evidence that religiousness enhances father involvement in this domain. Biblically conservative couples exhibit a greater gender gap in child care than others, with mothers more involved than fathers. The gender gap is also greater the more fathers work outside the home, the greater mothers' knowledge of infant development, and the less adaptable the infant. Average daily child care is lower the greater spouses' work hours, but higher with difficult pregnancies or fussy babies.
-----------------------
Why Evangelicals Like Wal-Mart: Education, Region, and Religious Group Identity
Rebekah Peeples Massengill
Sociology of Religion, Spring 2011, Pages 50-77
Abstract:
Status gains made by evangelicals in recent decades create new factions within the evangelical movement, potentially distinguishing college-educated evangelicals from their less-educated counterparts in their attitudes on issues that separate other Americans along the dividing lines of social class. This paper tests the influence of evangelical identity upon a particular social issue by investigating Americans' attitudes about Wal-Mart-a company that has historically appealed to evangelicals but not higher-status Americans. Using data from a 2005 survey of roughly 1,400 Americans, I find that self-identified evangelicalism is consistently associated with approval of the controversial retailer, while college education is linked to disapproval of Wal-Mart. However, the same effect does not persist among evangelicals, for whom college education has no consistent, significant effect on the odds of judging Wal-Mart unfavorably. I suggest that education may function differently for evangelicals than for the larger population, offsetting the liberalizing effects that are typically assumed to accompany attending college.
-----------------------
Denis Lamoureux
Christian Higher Education, April 2011, Pages 79-96
Abstract:
Belief in the historicity of Adam has been held firmly throughout the history of the church. In the light of modern biblical criticism and the evolutionary sciences, some conservative Christians are now questioning whether or not Adam was a real person. This paper argues that the existence of Adam in the opening chapters of scripture reflects an ancient understanding of biological origins. More specifically, the quick and complete (de novo) creation of life is the result of retrojecting an ancient phenomenological perspective of living organisms back in time to the origin of the world. The apostle Paul's references to Adam are rooted in this ancient scientific understanding of human origins. In moving beyond the belief in the historicity of Adam, this paper concludes that Adam is an incidental, though necessary, ancient vessel that transports inerrant messages of faith regarding the human spiritual condition.
-----------------------
Christian-Published Textbooks and the Preparation of Teens for the Rigors of College Science Courses
Janice Guthrie
Journal of Research on Christian Education, Spring 2011, Pages 46-72
Abstract:
Conservative Christian schools consistently earn higher standardized test scores than public schools while being criticized for using inferior curricular materials. This research investigates the effectiveness of Christian-published science textbooks in preparing students for the science reasoning subtest of the American College Testing. Data provide a sketch of the typical Midwest Christian high school and illuminate the rationale for endorsing one publisher-type versus another. Analysis indicates no statistical difference between the mean ACT science reasoning scores of schools using Christian-published science textbooks and those using secular-published textbooks. Multiple regression analysis also shows no significant difference in the effectiveness of two Christian publishers.
-----------------------
"A Gift from God": Adolescent Motherhood and Religion in Brazilian Favelas
Liza Steele
Sociology of Religion, Spring 2011, Pages 4-27
Abstract:
This study seeks to understand how young, unmarried mothers and mothers-to-be in the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have experienced religious morality as applied to themselves and other adolescents in their communities, as well as how religious leaders grapple with the moral issue of unmarried adolescent maternity in their midst. Drawing on more than 50 interviews conducted in Rio with young mothers, Catholic and evangelical religious leaders who work with the poor, and staff members of non-governmental organizations, this paper seeks to understand the acceptance-or even approval-that unmarried pregnant teens and adolescent mothers usually encounter, which casts doubt on whether the issue is actually posing a moral dilemma for these religious institutions. The realities of everyday life in Rio's favelas, most prominently the ever-present specter of violence, high rates of teen motherhood, strong popular opposition to abortion, the high value accorded to motherhood, and the intense competition of the religious marketplace appear to influence the ways in which favela residents and religious leaders understand and interpret morality. More generally, this study offers an example of how religious groups working in impoverished communities throughout the world might adapt traditional moral codes to suit their circumstances.
-----------------------
Religious Factors and Hippocampal Atrophy in Late Life
Amy Owen et al.
PLoS ONE, March 2011, e17006
Abstract:
Despite a growing interest in the ways spiritual beliefs and practices are reflected in brain activity, there have been relatively few studies using neuroimaging data to assess potential relationships between religious factors and structural neuroanatomy. This study examined prospective relationships between religious factors and hippocampal volume change using high-resolution MRI data of a sample of 268 older adults. Religious factors assessed included life-changing religious experiences, spiritual practices, and religious group membership. Hippocampal volumes were analyzed using the GRID program, which is based on a manual point-counting method and allows for semi-automated determination of region of interest volumes. Significantly greater hippocampal atrophy was observed for participants reporting a life-changing religious experience. Significantly greater hippocampal atrophy was also observed from baseline to final assessment among born-again Protestants, Catholics, and those with no religious affiliation, compared with Protestants not identifying as born-again. These associations were not explained by psychosocial or demographic factors, or baseline cerebral volume. Hippocampal volume has been linked to clinical outcomes, such as depression, dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease. The findings of this study indicate that hippocampal atrophy in late life may be uniquely influenced by certain types of religious factors.
-----------------------
Impact of spiritual leadership on unit performance
Louis Fry et al.
Leadership Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Issues regarding workplace spirituality have received increased attention in the organizational sciences. The implications of workplace spirituality for leadership theory, research, and practice make this a fast growing area of new research and inquiry by scholars. The purpose of this research was to test a dynamic relationship between spiritual leadership and spiritual well-being (i.e., a sense of calling and membership), and key organizational outcomes in a sample of emerging military leaders. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), results revealed a positive and significant relationship between spiritual leadership and several unit-level outcomes, including organizational commitment and four measures of performance. These relationships were explained or mediated by spiritual well-being. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
-----------------------
Michael McFarland, Jeremy Uecker & Mark Regnerus
Journal of Sex Research, March 2011, Pages 297-308
Abstract:
This study assesses the role of religion in influencing sexual frequency and satisfaction among older married adults and sexual activity among older unmarried adults. The study proposes and tests several hypotheses about the relationship between religion and sex among these two groups of older Americans, using nationally representative data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Results suggest that among married older adults, religion is largely unrelated with sexual frequency and satisfaction, although religious integration in daily life shares a weak, but positive, association with pleasure from sex. For unmarried adults, such religious integration exhibits a negative association with having had sex in the last year among women, but not among men.
-----------------------
Kristin Paredes-Collins & Christopher Collins
Journal of Research on Christian Education, Spring 2011, Pages 73-100
Abstract:
Although a great deal of research assesses the value of both diversity and spirituality in the university setting, little research addresses the experience of underrepresented students and their spiritual development in an environment that is defined by a mission committed to spiritual growth. Utilizing data from the College Students' Beliefs and Values survey, a longitudinal dataset from the UCLA Spirituality in Higher Education project, this study explored the racial differences in students' spirituality at faith-based institutions. Amongst all students, seniors demonstrated significant growth on the spiritual identification and ethic of caring scales, and their religious commitment decreased during college. White students scored significantly higher on the religious commitment scale than non-white students, and non-white students scored significantly higher on the ethic of caring scale.