Cites a report showing that members of the fundamental religions
are more optimistic than their liberal counterparts. Psychologists Sheena
Sethi and Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania) questioned 623
adherents and report their conclusions in 'Psychological Science' (Vol.
4, No. 12). The authoritarian religions; The rise in fundamentalists
since the 1960s; More.
By
PT Staff, published on November 01, 1993
OPTIMISM
Business is booming for Islam, Orthodox Judaism, and born-again
Christianity. Although all interpret their religious texts literally and
impose many restrictions on their followers, they also offer something
heady to those living in troubled times-- optimism.
Members of the fundamental religions are more optimistic--they show
more hopE for the future, less depression, and greater adherence to
religious beliefs--than their liberal counterparts, report psychologists
Sheena Sethi, Ph.D., and Martin Seligman, Ph.D., of the University of
Pennsylvania. The two analyzed the explanatory style by questionnaire
from 623 adherents, as well as by content analysis of the religious
liturgy of nine religions. They ran the gamut from fundamentalist to
conservative to moderate to liberal.
The liberal credos of Unitarianism and Reform Judaism--although
idealistic and open to change--have questioning environments that provide
little comfort to many in anxiety-provoking times. These religions
encourage individuality, tolerance--and skepticism.
The authoritarian religions, on the other hand demand high
involvement through their day-to-day restrictions and have hopeful and
optimistic liturgies. Sermons proclaim belief in an afterlife or a
protective deity and provide comfort and hope to their followers.
It is no accident that membership in fundamentalist faiths has been
on the rise in America since the 1960s, when the Moonies and the Nation
of Islam, among others, were born. That was a time of nearly nonstop
political and social upheaval, and such faiths deliver solace for the
confused, the team reports in Psychological Science (Vol. 4, No.
12).
The same is true for other nations in social transition. Take Iran.
The power of the ayatollahs of the religious right can be seen largely as
the result of mass insecurity stemming from years of political corruption
and economic depression.
PHOTO: St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow (TONY STONE WORLDWIDE)
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