Religion and Support for Suicide Attacks

Ginges, Jeremy; Hansen, Ian G.; Norenzayan, Ara

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02270.x

Cited by 344 publications

(313 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

295

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These two variables probably cancel each other out in analyses employing only religiosity as a predictor. In attempting to delineate the psychological consequences of specific religious beliefs, this paper joins recent efforts to study 'religion' not as a monolithic whole, but as a set of interlocking, and interacting, elements [31,32,46,47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsourcing punishment to God: beliefs in divine control reduce earthly punishment

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sanctioning of norm-transgressors is a necessary-though often costly-task for maintaining a wellfunctioning society. Prior to effective and reliable secular institutions for punishment, large-scale societies depended on individuals engaging in 'altruistic punishment'-bearing the costs of punishment individually, for the benefit of society. Evolutionary approaches to religion suggest that beliefs in powerful, moralizing Gods, who can distribute rewards and punishments, emerged as a way to augment earthly punishment in large societies that could not effectively monitor norm violations. In five studies, we investigate whether such beliefs in God can replace people's motivation to engage in altruistic punishment, and their support for state-sponsored punishment. Results show that, although religiosity generally predicts higher levels of punishment, the specific belief in powerful, intervening Gods reduces altruistic punishment and support for state-sponsored punishment. Moreover, these effects are specifically owing to differences in people's perceptions that humans are responsible for punishing wrongdoers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsourcing punishment to God: beliefs in divine control reduce earthly punishment

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This population consists of people who moved to the West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 war for economic benefits or because of religious/ ideological beliefs. Although only a small proportion of settlers approve of acts of deadly force against Palestinians [50], violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians are routine.…”

Section: Overview Of Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

War as a moral imperative (not just practical politics by other means)

Ginges

Atran

2011

Proc. R. Soc. B.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We present findings from one survey and five experiments carried out in the USA, Nigeria and the Middle East showing that judgements about the use of deadly intergroup violence are strikingly insensitive to quantitative indicators of success, or to perceptions of their efficacy. By demonstrating that judgements about the use of war are bounded by rules of deontological reasoning and parochial commitment, these findings may have implications for understanding the trajectory of violent political conflicts. Further, these findings are compatible with theorizing that links the evolution of within-group altruism to intergroup violence.

show abstract

“…The power of sacred values is not lost on savvy groups, whose leaders use sacred values to motivate group members' self-sacrificial behavior and win public support for their cause [4]. Indeed, most suicide attacks are committed by insurgent organizations that use religious values and political messages in tandem to increase popular support [5].…”

Section: Value-expressive and Identity-expressive Endorsements Of Actmentioning

confidence: 99%