14 DAY TRIAL // A new online survey on how religious beliefs tie with having a loving attitude towards neighbors has revealed a positive correlation between the two, provided that researchers ruled out right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). This is the first study to directly demonstrate this link.
Previous investigations focused on indirect measures, such as withholding generosity or degrees of prejudice. The work, detailed in the latest issue of the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, was focused on 389 Americans, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists included.
Baylor University professor Wade Rowatt, PhD, found that, on average, people who were religious had a positive attitude towards other racial or ethnic groups, but not towards those who they perceived as breaking their values, PsychCentral reports.
“Statistically speaking, right-wing authoritarianism appears to suppress the positive relationship between religiosity and love of neighbor,” the investigator adds. Further work is needed to assess whether or not the responses the participants gave to the 200-question online survey are actually translated into practice.