Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
International

A Man's Religious Devotion Can Predict His Social Behaviour

Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 May, 2017 11:57 PM
    The level of devotion one feels toward religious beliefs can predict how that person likely will interact with members of his own group or with members outside of the group, according to a recent study.
     
    The University of Missouri-Columbia research suggested that a sincere belief in God, religious devotion , is unrelated to feelings of prejudice.
     
    Rather, the study found that those whose religious beliefs are extrinsic, who use religion as a way to achieve non-religious goals such as attaining status or joining a social group, and who regularly attend religious services are more likely to hold hostile attitudes toward outsiders.
     
    "It's not the true believers who are the problem," researcher Robert Lynch said. "It's the people who use religion, perhaps in a cynical way, to further their goals."
     
    Lynch said that one way to look at the issue is to compare ISIS with Al Qaeda. He noted that ISIS is mostly composed of former Iraqi generals who served under Saddam Hussein, and they are not particularly religious. Members of ISIS routinely kill members of their own group as well as individuals outside their group (both Sunnis and Shias). One of the main objectives for ISIS is to expand its territory, and it often uses a religious pretext to achieve its goals.
     
    On the other hand, Al Qaeda, a Sunni Muslim organization created in 1988 to fight the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, does not typically kill fellow Muslims. Lynch said that the members of Al Qaeda are true believers who like members of their own group and are not as hostile to outside groups.
     
    Lynch's research is based on a 30-year study of 288 Jamaican citizens from youth to adulthood by Robert Trivers of Rutgers University, a colleague who is studying symmetry (how much an individual varies from left to right) in the island population.
     
    He said that the findings suggest that the beliefs and social aspects that underlie religion have distinct effects on attitudes within and between groups. His research found that religious beliefs are positively associated with a willingness to sacrifice for one's beliefs and a greater tolerance of outsiders, while the social facets of religion, such as attendance, promote greater hostility toward outsiders.
     
    The study is published in Evolutionary Psychology Science.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Pakistan 'Harbouring Terrorists' In Afghanistan To Counter Indian Influence: Top US Official

    Pakistan 'Harbouring Terrorists' In Afghanistan To Counter Indian Influence: Top US Official
    Pakistan holds terrorist organisations in reserve to ensure Afghanistan does not lean towards India, a top US defence official said.

    Pakistan 'Harbouring Terrorists' In Afghanistan To Counter Indian Influence: Top US Official

    Indian Woman Who Alleged Forced Marriage To Pak Man Allowed To Return: Report

    Indian Woman Who Alleged Forced Marriage To Pak Man Allowed To Return: Report
    Indian woman Uzma who accused Pakistani man of forcibly marrying her has been allowed to return to India, a media report said.

    Indian Woman Who Alleged Forced Marriage To Pak Man Allowed To Return: Report

    Indian-Origin Sikh Cabbie Pardeep Singh 'Racially Abused', Assaulted In Australia

    Indian-Origin Sikh Cabbie Pardeep Singh 'Racially Abused', Assaulted In Australia
    An Indian cab driver was assaulted and beaten unconscious in the Australian state of Tasmania by two passengers who yelled racial slurs at him.

    Indian-Origin Sikh Cabbie Pardeep Singh 'Racially Abused', Assaulted In Australia

    Justin Trudeau Photobombs Students' Prom Photo Shoot In Vancouver

    Justin Trudeau Photobombs Students' Prom Photo Shoot In Vancouver
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's official photographer posted a photo to Twitter on Friday, depicting Canada's leader out for a jog along the city's seawall.

    Justin Trudeau Photobombs Students' Prom Photo Shoot In Vancouver

    Traps Set, Trails Closed After Bear Attacks Hiker Near Squamish, B.C.

    Traps Set, Trails Closed After Bear Attacks Hiker Near Squamish, B.C.
    Trails were closed in a mountain community north of Vancouver after a bear attacked a hiker.

    Traps Set, Trails Closed After Bear Attacks Hiker Near Squamish, B.C.

    Gay Indian-Origin Miniter Leo Varadkar Leads Race To Become New Irish Prime Minister

    Gay Indian-Origin Miniter Leo Varadkar Leads Race To Become New Irish Prime Minister
    The 38-year-old will face Housing Minister Simon Coveney after nominations closed for the leadership of the governing centre-right Fine Gael party, reported Sky News on Saturday.

    Gay Indian-Origin Miniter Leo Varadkar Leads Race To Become New Irish Prime Minister