Religious Fundamentalism and Quest as Predictors of Moral Foundations Among Iranian Muslims

Abstract

Does religion make us moral? How do individual differences in religious beliefs influence morality? Can we predict differences in moral concerns by certain facets of religiousness? Here, we attempted to answer these hotly debated questions within a novel psychological framework called "moral foundations theory." We extended past research on the relationship between moral foundations and religiosity that was limited to Christian samples in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies. Data were collected from 276 Iranian Muslims who completed an online survey measuring religious dimensions and the endorsement of five moral foundations (Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, and Purity). Each of the moral foundations was positively correlated with intrinsic religiosity, religious fundamentalism, and religious activity, while quest religiousness was negatively correlated with binding foundations. However, controlling for general religiosity and demographic variables, we found that religious fundamentalism predicted binding foundations; quest religiousness predicted individualizing foundations; intrinsic religiosity predicted care, authority, and purity.

Who would Iranian Muslims help? Religious dimensions and moral foundations as predictors

“…Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ). To measure the endorsement of the five moral foundations, all participants completed the Farsi version of the 30-item moral foundations questionnaire (MFQ; Graham et al, 2011) validated by Nejat and Hatami (2019) and recently used in psychological studies in Iran (see Atari, Graham, et al, 2020;Atari, Lai, et al, 2020;Baboli & Karimi-Malekabadi, 2020;Mikani & Rasoolzadeh Tabatabaei, 2021). Caring for others or avoiding harm (Harm/ Care; for example, compassion for those who are suffering is the most crucial virtue), fairness and justice (Fairness/Reciprocity; for example, when the government makes laws, the number one principle should be ensuring that everyone is treated fairly), loyalty to one's group (Ingroup/Loyalty; for example, I am proud of my country's history), obedience to authority (Authority/Respect; for example, respect for authority is something all children need to learn), and maintaining bodily and spiritual purity (Purity/Sanctity; for example, people should not do things that are disgusting, even if no one is harmed).…”

“…For instance, Atari, Graham, et al (2020) explored the moral domains in Iran and proposed "Qeirat" as a culture-specific moral foundation. More recently, Mikani and Rasoolzadeh Tabatabaei (2021) showed that after controlling for general religiosity as well as other religious dimensions, religious fundamentalism, and intrinsic religiosity are predictors of binding foundations, and quest religiousness predicts individualizing foundations in Iran.…”

Investigating Politeness in the Prayers of Prophets: A Quranic Discourse Perspective

“…They were endowed with characteristics and personalities that could serve as models for the people. While these attributes were primarily portrayed in terms of morals, ethics, behavior, and leadership (Ali, 2009;Harmaini et al, 2022;Mikani & Rasoolzadeh Tabatabaei, 2021), their language had not been explicitly explored.…”