What is it about?
In diverse nations and religions, we examined how religiosity and "coalitional rigidity" (authoritarianism, dogmatism, fundamentalism, exclusivity) relate to "religion-based intergroup hostility", a kind of religious intolerance. In all the religious groups examined, religiosity and coalitional rigidity correlated positively with each other but they nevertheless made opposing predictions of religious intolerance--religiosity had null or negative relationships with intolerance, and coalitional rigidity had null or positive independent relationships with intolerance.
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Why is it important?
Our findings suggest that even though people who are religious tend to be conservative or exhibit coalitional rigidity, these two inclinations--religiosity and coalitional rigidity--are not the same. To some extent they may even be considered opposing inclinations--a kind of "odd couple". The findings also suggest that religiosity, across very different religions, has the potential to be a force for tolerance in spite of its association with coalitional rigidity. Since we find this pattern cross-culturally it may be that, for predicting tolerance, how one believes matters more than what one believes.
Perspectives
I think that this research challenges one of the fundamental dogmas of inter-religious war, including the "War on Terror" directed by secular-liberal/Judeo-Christian societies against "Islamist terrorism". The narrative of inter-religious war is that some societies are more tolerant and rights-respecting by virtue of their superior worldviews while rival societies are intolerant and rights-violating by the vice of their inferior worldviews. According to this narrative, we can increase tolerance and respect for rights in the world by eliminating inferior cultures and worldviews and supplanting them with superior cultures and worldviews, with violence if expedient. The evidence of our studies, however, suggests that a wide variety of worldviews are "odd couple" worldviews, with both tolerant and intolerant potential in the peculiar combination of inclinations that compose any worldview. To the extent the evidence of our studies is correct, then it is not necessary to violently supplant one worldview with another to achieve tolerance and respect for rights. Instead, it is sufficient for the most tolerant aspect of any worldview to be brought to the fore. For religious worldviews, the most tolerant aspect appears to be the worshipful devotion to a transcendent being or reality. For nonreligious worldviews, the most tolerant aspect appears to be the lack of coalitional rigidity.
Dr. Ian G Hansen
York College, CUNY
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: In Search of “Religion Proper”, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, April 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0022022116644983.
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