Awe of God, Congregational Embeddedness, and Religious Meaning in Life

Abstract

Researchers have argued for some time that emotions play a significant role in religious life. The purpose of this study is to focus on a religious emotion—awe of God—that has received relatively little attention in the literature. A latent variable model was developed to assess the following core relationships: (1) people who attend worship services more often will be more likely to experience awe of God; (2) greater awe of God will promote a greater sense of congregational cohesiveness (i.e., the belief that fellow church members share common values and beliefs); (3) individuals who participate in cohesive congregations will be more likely to feel they belong in the place where they worship; and (4) a greater sense of belonging in a congregation will be associated with a stronger sense of religious meaning in life. Analysis of data provided by a nationwide sample of middle-aged and older adults provides support for each of these relationships.