Religious beliefs are central to how people feel about the world.
And as these beliefs and practices evolve, they can become a driving force in shaping who you are and how you see the world, according to a new study published in Psychological Science.
“These findings provide the first step toward a better understanding of how beliefs and beliefs systems shape and shape the ways we live and interact with each other,” said study co-author Kristin Gagnon, a psychologist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“As we look to the future, we must understand the ways that beliefs can be used to create meaning in a world in which the way we live, think, and feel affects the way others see and experience the world.”
For this study, Gagnons team of researchers focused on four groups: religious believers, nonreligious people, people who have religious faith, and nonreligious but nonreligious individuals.
Each group was asked to rate their belief system on five dimensions: religious belief, belief systems, personal beliefs, and values.
For this research, the researchers created a composite index of religious belief in each group.
Beliefs that are found to be most influential for influencing one’s worldview and beliefs about the future are listed in bold and bold italics below.
The index includes five categories of beliefs: “faith in the existence of God,” “belief in the efficacy of religious teaching,” “faith and belief in the power of God to guide human behavior,” “religiosity and belief,” and “faithful adherence to religious teaching.”
In each index, the researcher has included the words “religious” or “religious belief” in brackets.
“A faith in the validity of religious texts and practices” is one of the most prominent beliefs in religious belief systems.
The researchers note that the index shows that “religious beliefs are often used to justify discrimination against others and to justify bigotry against others.”
Religious beliefs “are often used as a justification for discrimination against those who are not religious,” the researchers write.
“The use of religious beliefs to justify or justify discrimination is widespread.”
In the future of religious faith research, Gensons team is hoping to study how people’s belief systems influence their behavior, such as how people interpret evidence of their religious beliefs.
“While we have found that religious beliefs and values are associated with higher levels of social support and less prejudice, the link between belief systems and behaviors is less clear,” the study says.
“Understanding how belief systems shape our behavior is an important first step in this direction.”
The researchers say their findings will also be useful for understanding how religion influences other factors such as social class, education, and income.
“Religious belief systems are highly influential in shaping the lives of people in both religious and non-religious groups,” Gagnone said.
“Because they have been linked to different aspects of social identity, they have become central to the social determinants of individual lives.”
Gagnón’s team is also looking into how beliefs about how the world is, and the way people view it, change over time.
“This research will help us better understand how religious belief and beliefs are important for social, economic, and political outcomes,” she said.
More from the study: “People with a high level of religious commitment are more likely to believe that the world will be better off if they follow a religious belief system,” the authors write.
People who are religiously motivated are also more likely than others to identify with their religious tradition.
“Our study provides a unique opportunity to examine the relationships between religious belief structures and attitudes about the nature of the world and to explore how these beliefs can shape and define the way in which people view the world,” Gignon said.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
“Faith and belief systems can shape how people perceive the world in different ways and how they perceive the consequences of that perception,” Gannon said in a statement.
“What is often overlooked is the potential that these beliefs influence the ways people live their lives.”
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
The full study can be found at http://psycnet.apa.org/ps/2017/03/12/a-religions-religion-index-by-group-and-country-20170316.html.