Science on Religion Research News
Is religion disappearing?
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- Published on 13 August 2012
- Written by Jonathan Morgan
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This question fuels a persisting debate at the heart of the sociology of religion. Does modernization lead to secularization? Any answer to this question demands explanation. If modernization causes religiosity to fade, then why? If not, then how are we to understand the seemingly common trend of religious influence diminishing in the wake of modernization? Over the past decades the theory of secularization has fallen to the wayside, but two political scientists, Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel, are amassing a prodigious body of data that brings the debate back to life. With the World Values Survey, they suggest that religion fades not necessarily as a country develops economically, but as a country becomes more existentially secure.
Education’s effect on religion
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- Published on 05 August 2012
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
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Since the beginning of the Enlightenment, academics assumed that as education increases, religion would decrease. Yet, in the late 19th century, the world witnessed the birth of fundamentalism, Biblical inerrancy, and papal infallibility. Despite the great increase in education beginning in the 18th century, religion has not only grown but has become more conservative. Interested in higher education’s real effect on religion, sociologist Jonathan Hill (Calvin College) found that it mildly increases skepticism toward super-empirical beliefs, decreases adherence to exclusivism, and increases preference for institutionalized religion.
Painful rituals: good for some, not for others
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- Published on 27 July 2012
- Written by Connor Wood
- Hits: 1244
From the somber Catholic high mass to the painful, often frightening initiation rites of many tribal cultures, every human society practices some form of ritual. But the rituals themselves differ radically – in ways that may be predictable across cultures. Namely, new research shows that complex cultures that depend on agriculture tend to have frequent, repeated rituals that are relatively sedate and calm. Smaller cultures with less agriculture, on the other hand, feature rituals that are less frequent but far more emotionally and physically arousing. Ultimately, these trends may give us a vital clue as to how human culture changes over time.
Speaking in tongues: the language of serenity?
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- Published on 23 July 2012
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
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Pentecostal Christianity is one of the world’s fastest growing religions. Its rapid growth comes largely from its special emphasis on religious experience. Pentecostalism offers a unique experience in what Pentecostals call “speaking in tongues,” (or what academics call “glossolalia”). According to Pentecostals, the Holy Spirit may overflow in them, causing them speak in a tongue of angels. While it's gibberish to outsiders, a team of researchers lead by anthropologist Christopher Lynn (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa) wondered if speaking in tongues influences its speakers’ stress levels, and found that their stress levels increased during worship but decreased to below average levels the day after.
Orthodox and progressives differ by morality – worldwide
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- Published on 16 July 2012
- Written by Connor Wood
- Hits: 872
From religion blogs to blockbuster academic books, debates and conversations on religion are plentiful in today’s world. But if one digs deeply into the mass-media conversation about religion, something becomes apparent: people are just not understanding each other. Writers and thinkers constantly express bafflement at their ideological opponents’ outlandish views. Pundits seem to talk right past each other. A research paper from the late 1990s may give us a hint as to why – around the world, progressives and the orthodox use completely different language for talking about the right way to live.
The religious may fare better when the going gets tough
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- Published on 12 July 2012
- Written by Jonathan Morgan
- Hits: 716
There’s no shortage of research on religion and health. Most of it suggests that the religious not only live longer, but are also likely to live better. Yet in spite of this abundance of research there’s still little to explain precisely why religion is related to health. Ferreting out the cause is a difficult task, but new research out of this field suggests that self-regulation may be an important piece of the reason.
The evolution of atheists
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- Published on 08 July 2012
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 1074
Typically, when researchers study religion, they find that it brings various benefits to society: cohesion, cooperation, trust, etc. Religion evolved and persisted because of the gains religious cultures reaped. However, these findings implicitly seem to uplift religious people and make a puzzle out of atheists. If atheism (by implication) hurts the fabric of society, why did it evolve? What’s the evolutionary purpose of atheists? Political scientist Dominic Johnson (University of Edinburgh), rather than offering a definitive answer, instead suggests no less than ten possible hypotheses.
Traditional religion: investing (genetically) in families
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- Published on 03 July 2012
- Written by Connor Wood
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To modern eyes, traditional religious practices can seem downright baffling, even barbarous. From circumcisions to menstrual huts, the rituals of many societies appear to be coercive, controlling, or senseless. But what if these strange practices actually fulfill functions in their societies? A group of researchers at the Universities of Michigan and Arizona examining the religious practices of the Dogon, an indigenous Malian tribe, have found that Dogon ritual practices help reduce adultery and out-of-wedlock births – a function that can head off bitter interpersonal conflicts and, in the long run, inspire parents to invest more in their children.
Church mentality affects your mentality
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- Published on 23 June 2012
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 1109
A Calvinist and a Catholic walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll ya have?” The Calvinist, whose theology has inclined him to think individualistically, picks an obscure beer, while the Catholic just says, “I’ll have that too.” While that joke falls flat, it does reflect leading research about how religious practice affects mental processing. A group of psychologists led by Bernhard Hommel of Leiden University has recently found that neo-Calvinists tend to process information more individualistically, while Catholics process more collectively.
Compassion, caring, and charity: Religious or not?
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- Published on 19 June 2012
- Written by Connor Wood
- Hits: 1041
Religious people in the United States often assume that they’re more moral than their irreligious counterparts, simply by virtue of the fact that they adhere to a faith tradition. And, in fact, plenty of research has shown that religious people do tend to give more to charity and to volunteer more. But the story is more complicated than this – new research from the Universities of California at San Francisco and Berkeley shows that the religious may be less motivated by compassion and more by habit. A look at the philosophy of American thinker William James may give us a hint as to why.
Does religion make us moral?
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- Published on 12 June 2012
- Written by Connor Wood
- Hits: 1157
The scriptures of the world’s great religious traditions are chock-full of moral teachings. Believers are encouraged to treat each other as neighbors, to be kind to strangers, and to help the poor. But religious people aren’t always more moral or righteous than nonbelievers – indeed, religions have inspired wars, inquisitions, and seemingly endless prejudice. So is religion morally good or bad? Yale psychologist Paul Bloom thinks the answer is both. And the moral effects of religion stem from what religious people do together…not necessarily what they believe.
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