Dimensions of Religiosity among Catholics

Abstract

Studies of the dimensions of religiosity have reached a point where they can be used not merely for the identification of dimensions but also for advancing research in many aspects of the sociology of religion. The results of a study with a sample of Catholics in a Midwest city indicate that: (1) consequential scales must be broken down into individual and social consequences; (2) the individual consequences dimension correlates positively with dimensions measuring orthodoxy, devotionalism, and comfort-seeking whereas the social consequences dimension correlates negatively with orthodoxy and comfort-seeking; (3) the relationship between devotionalism and social consequences is curvilinear with the most and least devotional scoring highest on social consequences; and (4) attitudes on birth control are independent of the other dimensions The primary interest of this study is to conceptualize and measure the consequential aspects of religion. There have been many attempts to measure the dimensions of religiosity, particularly as it has become more apparent that religion cannot be treated as a unidimensional phenomenon (Allport and Ross, 1967; Faulkner and DeJong, 1966; DeJong, Faulkner, and Warland, 1973; Glock, 1962; King, 1967; King and Hunt, 1972; Lenski, 1961; Monaghan, 1967; Stark and Glock, 1968). The five dimensions presented by Stark and Glock have proven to be the most widely cited and replicated group of dimensions. The first four of these dimensions are religious beliefs, practices, knowledge, and experience. In the fifth or "consequential" dimension, Stark and Glock group the effects of the first four dimensions in the day-to-day lives of persons. Faulkner and DeJong (1966) cite particular problems with the conceptualization and measurement of the consequential dimension and note that it has low correlations with the other dimensions. Many researchers simply give up on this dimension. At this point, it appears useful to