The Relationship Between the Constructs of Religiousness and Prejudice: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Abstract

Research examining the connection between religiousness and prejudice has used scales exclusively as proxies for the underlying constructs. Scholars in the psychology of religion, however, are ultimately concerned about the nature of religious constructs and their relationships with other variables, and the use of scales provides only indirect information concerning these constructs. To overcome this limitation, structural equation modeling (SEM) allows researchers to gather information about the relationship among constructs directly. The present study used SEM to examine the relationship between religion and prejudice using four of the most important and heavily researched constructs in the psychology of religion: religious commitment, orthodoxy, fundamentalism, and openness, as well as their relationships with three types of prejudice: racial, sexual orientation, and religious. The strongest results revealed that religious commitment, orthodoxy, and fundamentalism were linked positively with sexual orientation prejudice, whereas religious openness was linked negatively with that type of prejudice. Other religiousness-prejudice relationships were weaker and also more complex.

Religious Styles Predict Interreligious Prejudice: A Study of German Adolescents with the Religious Schema Scale

“…Thus, if it is adequate to understand such differences in terms of a developmental hierarchy, Figure 1 indicates that anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic prejudice decline with progressing religious development. Insofar our results parallel the findings of James et al (2011) and of Leak and Finken (2011), but the RSS using three schemata allows for a more detailed account of religious development. Finally, results of our study indicate that, compared to other measures of religiosity, the RSS has greater power as predictor for both promotion and prevention of interreligious prejudice.…”

“…The study by Leak and Finken (2011) reveals a considerable predictive effect of religious fundamentalism and religious openness on prejudice against Muslims. Also, the Faith Development Scale (FDS; Leak, 2008;Leak, Loucks, & Bowlin, 1999) has been used to assess the effects opposite to religious fundamentalism.…”

The Relationship between Social Dominance Orientation and Religiosity mediated by Political Orientation and Race

“…Additionally, studies have shown that individuals having strong religious fundamentalist beliefs tend to be White and Republican or conservative (Altemeyer, 2003;Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992;Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2004;Blogowska & Saroglou, 2013;Jackson & Hunsberger, 1999;Leak & Finken, 2011), however this study will attempt to demonstrate, based on the circumstances of this sample, the results will indicate that Non-White participants will show a stronger relationship with religiosity. Therefore, current study attempts to investigate the relationship impact between social dominance orientation and religiosity on dimensions of political orientation and race.…”

“…One would think that the very nature and many of the principles of religious thought concerning loving others, caring for those less fortunate, and striving for harmony among humanity one would not also find among its characteristics prejudice and bigotry. Much of the research is clear, there is a strong relationship among those who attend church the most are also likely to be prejudiced against many of those different from themselves on many levels (Altemeyer, 2003;Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992;Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2004;Beller, 2017;Beller & Kröger, 2017;Blogowska & Saroglou, 2013;Brandt & Van Tongeren, 2015;Jackson, 2011;Jackson & Hunsberger, 1999;Laythe, Finkel, & Kirkpatrick, 2001;Leak & Finken, 2011;Rowatt, LaBouff, Johnson, Froese, & Tsang, 2009;Silver & Silver, 2017). Perhaps the very the nature of religion itself leads to these outcomes.…”

Perbedaan Tingkat Prasangka Antara Mahasiswa Yang Mengikuti Perkumpulan Agama Dengan Yang Tidak

“…Hasil analisis menunjukkan nilai orientasi agama seluruh responden lebih tinggi pada orientasi intrinsik. Hasil penelitian Baston dkk (dalam Leak & Finken, 2011) menemukan orientasi ekstrinsik berkorelasi positif dengan prasangka, sedangkan orientasi intrinsik berkorelasi negatif. Sejalan dengan penelitian tersebut, responden yang merupakan anggota KaMI dan non KaMI mempunyai orientasi agama yang intrinsik.…”