Roles of religious music and religious well-being in the relationship between fundamentalism and subjective well-being among Korean Christians

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between Christians’ religious fundamentalism and subjective well-being, and investigated the roles of religious music and religious well-being in this relationship. Participants were 312 Christians in South Korea. The proposed path models were examined using analysis of moment structure. The results indicated that Christians’ religious fundamentalism was positively correlated with the conservatism of religious music, immersion in church music, religious well-being, and subjective well-being, whereas Christians’ immersion in church music was closely correlated with religious well-being. Additionally, Christians’ religious well-being closely was correlated with their subjective well-being. The study results provide support for a path model from Christian religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being via the conservatism of religious music, immersion in church music, and religious well-being. Thus, a direct path from religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being was found, with an excellent model fit. However, in this model, the coefficient of the direct path from religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being was negative. This study found that religious music plays an important role in Christians’ religious and subjective well-being, and that Christians’ religious fundamentalism can enhance their subjective well-being only through religious well-being.