ABSTRACT Social scientists regularly use the Short Christian Orthodoxy Scale to measure religious beliefs within the Christian faith tradition, but measurement invariance across time has not yet been tested. Both the absence of such testing and the current focus within scientific studies of religion on religious decline within the United States necessitate the present investigation, lest misleading interpretations from studies using the Short Christian Orthodoxy Scale follow. The present paper uses data from three time points and the confirmatory factor analytic method to support longitudinal invariance in factor structure, factor loadings, and intercepts indicating the establishment of scalar (strong) measurement invariance. Scalar invariance suggests that changes in response to the scale across time represent actual changes in belief rather than an artifact of measurement, in turn providing support for continued use of the scale in longitudinal contexts, including techniques based on the structural equation modeling framework such as multiple-indicator latent growth modeling.

ABSTRACT The present study analyzed the effect of the strength of belief and intrapersonal religious pluralism on the at-risk consumption of alcohol and tobacco, comparing heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ people. The sample consisted of 5,007 adults, of which 1,363 (27.2%) were LGBTQIA+. Multiple linear regression models showed that there were significant differences in alcohol and tobacco consumption among people with high religiosity, medium religiosity, low religiosity and medium/low atheism, when compared to high atheism. However, the difference between the models with the control variables and the models with the strength of belief was very small, suggesting a negligible effect. This study discusses how our findings contrast with decades of research on religiosity and drug use, and with current research on belief strength and health, as well as discussing the difference between statistical significance and practical significance for advancing the field.

ABSTRACT The diverse nature of religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs) eludes easy comparison or conceptualization. Here we explore the phenomenological, situational and conceptual principles that connect eighty-two diverse RSE reports from the Hardy Database (https://alisterhardytrust.uwtsd.ac.uk/). We tentatively suggest that in addition to being unexpectedly significant and imbued with social percepts, messages and emotions, a variety of diverse RSEs might share a temporal trajectory; namely, a sudden, unexpected or drastic shift from a negative to a positive cognitive-emotional state. This transition can reflect an actual sequence of unexpected and meaningful events, or the trajectory of an altered state of consciousness (ASC) catalyzed by stress, fatigue or other triggers that promote shifts in focus. The cognitive-emotional trajectory of RSEs maps onto the trajectory of psychedelic and certain psychotic-like experiences, and fits conceptually with religious notions of miracles, salvation and revelation.

ABSTRACT The statistical brain hypothesis posits that the brain constructs probabilistic models of the environment. Here we examine whether this perspective can provide any insight on religion. We propose that religious ideas represent an attempt to explain away residuals, that is, to explain discrepancies between observations and predictions. The framework postulates probabilistic generative models where gods are described by latent variables whose possible states correspond to the actions available to the gods. As examined in the paper, our proposal offers a plausible interpretation of typical religious phenomena such as miracles, omens, and divination. Moreover, it captures important characteristics of religious beliefs including the notion that gods control multiple spheres of reality, are organized hierarchically, and control aspects that are salient for believers. Besides offering an intriguing new perspective on religion, the paper corroborates the possibility that the statistical brain hypothesis represents a unifying theory of the mind.

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to characterize the relationship between mystical experience and psychopathology measures in a general-population sample of 763 U.S. adults. The participants were assessed across various domains including psychopathology, spirituality, personality, and life experience. The analysis revealed three distinct profiles among individuals: Transcendent Wellness, Transcendent Struggle, and Non-Transcendent Wellness. The Transcendent Wellness profile demonstrated higher scores in belongingness, mindfulness, and lived/integrated spirituality compared to the Transcendent Struggle profile. Belongingness and mindfulness were identified as mitigating factors, reducing the positive association between mystical experience and depression and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, lived/integrated spirituality attenuated this association, particularly in relation to anxiety. Conventional religiosity measures, however, did not exhibit the same moderating effects. The authors propose a framework in which relationally grounded spirituality, manifesting in the form of connection to fellow human, self, and higher power, constitutes a foundation for processing of and sense-making around mystical experience.

ABSTRACT To confront difficult decisions, religious believers commonly seek guidance from sacred sources of knowledge, such as an all-knowing God. We predicted that engaging in this practice may be related to decision satisfaction. Specifically, across three studies (N = 2,474; two pre-registered), and three countries (U.S. Sweden, Canada), we explored whether religious believers who report consulting God during decisions experienced greater decision and life satisfaction, particularly when they also held a belief in God’s omniscience. Religious people who consulted God during decisions reported increased life satisfaction initially (Study 1a), and over time (Study 1b). Further, consistent with the proposed mechanism, when consulting God for guidance, participants who perceived God as especially omniscient (but not omnipotent or predictable) experienced greater decision satisfaction for past decisions (Study 2), anticipated future decisions (Study 2), and immediately following a decision (Study 3). Findings suggest that religious believers may benefit from seeking guidance from an omniscient God.

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the interactions of spiritual well-being with different psychosocial and behavioral aspects that have been proposed in the literature as pathways underlying the relationship of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) with physical health, specifically in cancer patients (N = 351). Using a cross-sectional research design, a series of hierarchical regression analyses show the predictive power of different elements of R/S (attachment to God, religious practice, commitment and coping, and spiritual experiences) on spiritual well-being. In turn, spiritual well-being (meaning/peace and faith) predicts gratitude and compassion (as psychological pathways). Thus, finally, spiritual well-being, together with gratitude and compassion, correlates to the rest of the psychological (positive and negative emotions), social (social support) and behavioral (healthy behaviors) pathways to different extents. Spiritual well-being may play an important role in understanding the relationships between R/S and health, so considering it along with its associated factors may be key to improving the health and quality of life of people affected by cancer in Spain.