Level Of Religious Commitment Research Articles

Determinants of the millennial generation's intention to use Sharia home mortgages

A survey conducted by rumah.com showed that a notable number of participants, specifically 37 percent of those aged 22-29 and 36 percent of those aged 30-39, prefer Sharia mortgages to traditional ones. This research aims to explore the willingness of millennials to opt for Islamic housing loans, focusing on how their religious devotion influences this decision. The methodology of this study is quantitative, involving the distribution of questionnaires to 202 millennials. The gathered data underwent analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM-21) and SPSS 25. Findings from the study reveal that both the cost and the individual's earnings significantly encourage millennials to consider Islamic home loans, whereas their level of religious commitment does not play a crucial role. The study concludes that many millennials are inclined towards Sharia mortgages due to the fixed and extended period of repayments. Given their steady income, millennials find purchasing a home more appealing than renting, as owning a home offers a tangible asset that represents savings from their earnings.

Spiritual dryness among people with different levels of religious commitment. Polish adaptation of the spiritual dryness scale: psychometric properties and measurement invariance

ABSTRACT Spiritual dryness, understood as a type of divine struggle, is the feeling that God is distant or absent, no matter how much one tries to approach him. Spiritual dryness is concurrent with symptoms of depression, job burnout, stress, and experiencing negative emotions. The purpose of this article was to present the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Spiritual Dryness Scale (SDS) and the measurement equivalence of this tool for people involved and not involved in religious practices. Two groups of respondents (184 religiously committed and 199 uncommitted people) participated in the study. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses showed that this tool has a unidimensional. The measurement equivalence analysis conducted may suggest that, for those engaged in religious practices, the feeling of being completely abandoned by God and distanced from him despite efforts to get closer to him is a stronger descriptor of spiritual dryness.

The current system of sexuality education in Polish secondary schools: University students’ perspectives

In secondary schools in Poland, sexuality education was formally introduced in 1993 in the form of Education for Family Life (EFL) classes. The EFL curriculum is largely based on Catholic doctrine. The current study examined the opinions and attitudes of students attending a university in Poland regarding sexuality education in public secondary schools. A sample of 498 first- and second-year university students completed a questionnaire that collected information on demographic characteristics, the student’s sources of information about sexual health, and their opinions and attitudes related to sexuality education. Over 80% of the students used the Internet as a source of sexual health information while far fewer students cited teachers/classroom activities (24.3%). Over three-quarter of females (79.5%) and males (75.9%) agreed that it is important to have sexual health education as part of the secondary school curriculum. Students’ responses to the question on the importance of sexual health education in schools did not differ significantly based on their level of religious commitment. However, few women (12.9%) and men (9.2%) rated the current effectiveness of sexuality education in schools as “high.” For topics that should be covered in the curriculum, the students rated birth control methods, abortion, sexual orientation/lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues, and sexually transmitted diseases the highest. The findings indicate that Polish university students view school-based sexual health education as important but currently ineffective. Policies to reform public school-based sexual health in Poland are needed to ensure that Polish youth have the information and skills to protect and enhance their sexual health.

Religiously Conditioned Health Behaviors within Selected Religious Traditions.

Background: Health is a value of paramount importance for human existence. It has a special place in every religious system, both on the doctrinal and practical levels. Most religions view health as a priority value to be cared for, and require followers of individual religious groups to take care of their physical and mental health, and to maintain a balance between body and spirit. The aim of the study was to verify whether the level of religious commitment significantly influences health behaviors and whether in selected religions the faithful have a different approach to health behaviors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 296 people—118 Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), 134 Catholics, and 14 Jews living in southern Poland, and 31 Muslims living in southern and north-eastern Poland. The following research tools were used as part of the diagnostic survey method: a questionnaire survey designed by us; the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); the Inventory of Health Behaviours (IHB); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) and anthropometric measurements, physical examination, laboratory tests. Results: Only 75% of Catholics who participated in the study declared a high level of religious commitment. On the other hand, all (100%) of SDA, Jews, and Muslim respondents declared their religious commitment at a high level. SDA were characterized by the most desirable health behaviors on the IHB (high and average levels), especially eating habits. They did not consume alcohol, did not smoke cigarettes. The physical activity of most ADS was high and moderate. Most of the SDA subjects were characterized by an average and low level of stress intensity. The most common correct scores for homocysteine, triglycerides, and CRP were SDA, cholesterol by Jews, glucose by Muslims, and HDL by Catholics. The most common negative results were: homocysteine, glucose and triglycerides among Jews, cholesterol and CRP among Catholics, HDL among Muslims. Optimal blood pressure was most common among Catholics, and hypertension was most often diagnosed among Jews. Most often, Muslims had the correct body weight, and at the same time it was the group of respondents most often diagnosed with obesity. In contrast, underweight was observed only among Catholics. The SDA subjects were most often overweight. Conclusions: The results suggest that public health professionals and nurses should develop culturally specific educational interventions, especially among Catholics.

Kiwi Diwali: a longitudinal investigation of perceived social connection following a civic religious ritual

ABSTRACT Religious rituals are ubiquitous. Recent research indicates they can powerfully affect social connection, increasing collective sentiments and behaviors. However, the extent to which these effects depend on religious commitment remains unclear. Here, we use longitudinal data to investigate this question in a natural ritual setting by comparing the responses of religiously committed Hindus and non-Hindus immediately after a public Diwali celebration in New Zealand, and for two weeks following. Effects of time and level of religious commitment are assessed on five targets that measure reported social connection of participants to themselves and to specific groups: “Myself,” “My family and friends,” “Work colleagues/university peers,” “People who celebrate Diwali,” and “Humanity in general.” We find that participation in the civic religious ritual affects social connection of all participants, with stronger effects among religiously committed Hindus. Private religious behavior appears integral to the mechanisms underpinning the amplification of solidarity at public rituals, as we find separation in the level of reported social connection to Diwali celebrants between practicing and non-practicing Hindus. Though religious commitment leads to greater perceived social connection, this study additionally demonstrates that in a religiously diverse democracy, a civic religious ritual may foster greater democratic unions across religious differences.

Couple Religiosity, Male Headship, Intimate Partner Violence, and Infidelity

Background The research literature finds a positive relationship between couple religiosity and relationship quality, but because public discourse highlights religious victims of domestic violence, we questioned whether couple religiosity prevents negative relationship outcomes as well as it promotes positive ones. Purpose This article compares rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and infidelity among couples with different levels of religious commitment. We further interrogated whether the belief that the man is the head of the household increased couples’ risk of IPV or infidelity. Methods We used Global Family and Gender Survey data from eleven countries. This was an online survey of adults ages 18 to 50 that used a representative panel for the United States, but used opt-in panels in Australia, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. We limited our analytic sample to the 9920 men and women in heterosexual relationships (6791 married and 3128 cohabiting). We also analyzed the United States probability sample separately from our pooled sample. Results Couples with nominal or unequal religiosity ( less/mixed religious couples) had higher rates of infidelity than either highly religious couples or couples in which neither partner exhibited much religiosity ( shared secular couples). Infidelity was generally similar between highly religious couples and shared secular couples, but in the US women in highly religious couples did cheat less. We found no differences in IPV—measured by both women's reports of victimization and men's reports of perpetration—according to couple religiosity. Further, the belief that the man is the head of the household did not influence couples’ risk of either IPV or infidelity across the entire sample. In Latin America, however, patriarchal men in shared secular couples perpetrated IPV significantly more often than their egalitarian or more religious counterparts. Conclusions and Implications Our Latin American evidence hints that patriarchy may be a more dangerous ideology for secular couples than for religious couples. Our more general conclusion is that even though negative relationship outcomes are not more common among religious couples, the resources religious traditions have at their disposal to discourage violence within intimate partnerships seem tragically underutilized.

Death primes in advertisements: how international advertisers can ensure their message is effective

Mortality salience is omnipresent in the life of consumers. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers retire, or when they consider products related to death such as life insurance. This research examines how consumers’ level of religious commitment and geographic location influence response to death primes in advertisements. Using terror management theory as a conceptual framework, three experiments examine differences between consumers sampled from countries in Asia and the Americas. Study 1 reveals that consumers sampled from an Asian (vs. American) country respond more positively to death primes (vs. no prime) in advertisements. Study 2 replicates these findings and shows that religious commitment moderates such effects, with lower religious commitment consumers being more reactive to death primes than higher religious commitment consumers. Study 3 confirms religion’s influence by priming religion and identifies perceived product need as mediating the relationship between the interaction of religion × death prime × country and advertised product evaluations. Practical implications for international advertising are provided.

Finding Brands and Not Losing Your Religion? Exploring the Relationship Between Brand Engagement in Self-Concept and Religious Commitment

Past research links a decrease in religiosity with the development of marketing and, in particular, with the growing role of brands in consumers’ lives. Building on James's (1920) theory of the self, we propose that focusing on brands as a strategy for self-expression (brand engagement in self-concept; BESC) does not exclude religious commitment and may even be related with higher levels of religious commitment. We also suggest that this relationship is moderated by grandiose narcissism. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 306 individuals in a cross-sectional study. The findings provide evidence that BESC is positively related to religious commitment and the higher an individual’s narcissism is, the stronger the positive relationship between BESC and religious commitment. These findings suggest that using brands as a strategy for self-expression is not a substitute for religious commitment.

The Relationship between Religious Commitment and Ego Strength among a Sample of Hashemite University Students

This study aimed to identify the relationship between religious commitment and ego strength among a sample of university students at Hashemite University, Jordan. The study sample consisted of 572 male and female undergraduate students. To achieve the aims of this study, scales of religious commitment and ego strength were developed and satisfactory psychometric properties of validity and stability were provided. The results showed that the levels of religious commitment and ego strength were high. Moreover, the results indicated that there is a positive significant correlation between religious commitment and ego strength. The results also showed there were no statistically significant differences in religious commitment and ego strength due to gender. However, there were statistically significant differences in terms of year of study in favor of fourth -year students and also in terms of specialization in favor of scientific specializations.

The Relationship between Religious Commitment and Ego Strength among a Sample of Hashemite University Students

This study aimed to identify the relationship between religious commitment and ego strength among a sample of university students at Hashemite University, Jordan. The study sample consisted of 572 male and female undergraduate students. To achieve the aims of this study, scales of religious commitment and ego strength were developed and satisfactory psychometric properties of validity and stability were provided. The results showed that the levels of religious commitment and ego strength were high. Moreover, the results indicated that there is a positive significant correlation between religious commitment and ego strength. The results also showed there were no statistically significant differences in religious commitment and ego strength due to gender. However, there were statistically significant differences in terms of year of study in favor of fourth -year students and also in terms of specialization in favor of scientific specializations.

Capitalizing on Faith: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Consumer Responses to the Use of Religious Symbols in Advertising

The use of religious symbolism in advertising is increasingly ubiquitous, and has extended beyond the promotion of religiously-associated products to products in general. However, limited attention has been given by the scholars to the use of such symbols for promotional purposes, and rarely in a cross-cultural context. In this article, the authors examine the attitudes of Christian and Muslim consumers in Egypt and the United States toward religious symbolism in advertisements. The results indicate that a consumer’s religion, country, and level of religious commitment, as well as an ad’s level of symbolism explicitness directly influence attitudes toward religious symbols in advertising. However, some of the relationships between religious affiliation and attitudes toward these types of ads is moderated by country, and Christians and Muslims differ in the extent to which their cultural context and minority religious status influences their attitudes toward ads containing religious symbols.

Assessing Religious Commitment and Satisfaction: The Religious Surrender and Attendance Satisfaction Scale.

Survey instruments have been developed to measure whether someone claims to be religious but do not address the degree to which someone is satisfied with their religious commitment. The Religious Surrender and Attendance Satisfaction Scale (RSASS) was revised to measure both a person's level of religious commitment and satisfaction with level of religious commitment. This study was conducted to determine initial validity for the satisfaction portion of the RSASS. Construct validity measures provided initial confirmation of the utility of RSASS as a measure of satisfaction with religious commitment, that can be used by nurses in practice and research.

The Role of Religiosity and Demographics on Attitude towards Advertising of Controversial Products

This study aims to explore the consumers' attitude towards promotion of controversial products, the reasons why they are controversial and how the degree of religious commitment in Sudan affects attitude. The study presents the results of an online survey of 203 Sudanese respondents to determine the type of products seen as controversial when advertised on TV and why considered controversial. The results revealed that in general Sudanese hold negative perceptions of controversial products and their advertisements. The findings revealed that the religious beliefs can potentially impact the perception of offensive advertising among Sudanese. Muslims of different levels of religious commitment show different degrees of offensiveness to controversial products advertising. The study also found that age, gender, and education have effects on survey participants’ attitude towards some products controversial advertising. These findings may have important implications for international marketers in countries with religious orientations such as Sudan, or other Muslim countries.

The Faith of Sacrifice: Leadership Trade-Offs in an Afro-Brazilian Religion.

Despite secular trends in some countries, prestige-based authority in the form of religious leadership remains hugely influential in the everyday lives of millions of people around the world. Here, the costs and benefits of religious leadership are explored in an urban setting in northeastern Brazil. An economic game, within-group cooperation questionnaires, and social network analyses were carried out among adherents of an Afro-Brazilian religion. Results reveal that leaders display high levels of religious commitment and disproportionally provide cooperative services to group members. On the other hand, initiates cooperate less than leaders but do not differ in levels of received cooperation or social cohesion measures. This may indicate some level of exploitation or free-riding. Demographic and group variables also appear to play an important role in the degree of social cohesion a group achieves. These findings are discussed in the context of non-Western urban settings where religious leadership may represent both an alternative to social advancement and a crucial source of material aid, social support, and a strong sense of community.

Controversial Advert Perceptions in SNS Advertising: The Role of Ethical Judgement and Religious Commitment

This study attempts to advance knowledge in the area of controversial advertising by examining the antecedents and consequences of controversial advert perceptions in the context of social media, and particularly social networking sites (SNS). Specifically, we explore how ethical judgement and religious commitment shape controversial advert perceptions leading to attitudes towards the advert, brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Our results indicate that when a SNS advert is judged to be ethically acceptable, the level of perceived advert controversy is lower. However, the impact of ethical judgement on controversial advert perceptions becomes significant and positive when intrapersonal commitment and interpersonal religious commitment are introduced as moderators. This result implies that the level of religious commitment changes the ethical judgement–controversial advert perceptions relationship. The results also highlight that controversial advert perceptions negatively influence attitude towards the advert. The study contributes to the limited knowledge on controversial advertising on SNS, yielding significant and relevant implications for academics and advertisers alike, in their effort to improve advertising effectiveness without offending or alienating target audiences.

Cultural Muslims: Background Forces and Factors Influencing Everyday Religiosity of Muslim People

Cultural Muslims: Background Forces and Factors Influencing Everyday Religiosity of Muslim PeopleAbstractMost observers of the science of religion define Islam as a monolithic religion. Some people pinpoint a cultural practice from a Muslim-majority country and generalize it as a practice of all Muslims around the world by assuming that Islam is a monolithic religion. In fact, Islam never meant the same thing to all Muslims. While the majority of Muslims agree on the core tenets of Islam, Muslims across the world differ significantly in their levels of religious commitment and openness to multiple interpretations of their faith. In addition, fluctuation on the core tenets of Islam among Muslim majority countries suggest that some Muslims make religion a part of their cultural life and practice religion as a cultural habit. There are many points that cultural and religious practices are mixed. This study helps to acknowledge the relationship between regional culture and religious culture, and background reasons of common everyday activities of Muslim people.

Diasporic religion: The Irish and Northern Irish in England

The current research assesses the religious orientations of Irish and Northern Irish Catholic and Protestant migrants in England related to the suggestion that immigration to a comparatively irreligious society increases religious awareness. Participants were 391 opportunity- and snowball-sampled individuals, where 171 were members of the Northern Irish Diaspora, 54 were members of the Republic of Ireland Diaspora and 166 were members of the English Control Group. Findings suggest that the Irish and Northern Irish migrant groups showed significantly higher levels of religious commitment than their English counterparts, although these diasporic groups did not differ from each other in terms of their levels of commitment. Findings are discussed with reference to the impact of religion on migration, Catholic and Protestant religious practices, and the impact of church activities on religious commitment.

Church-based social support, religious commitment, and health among older Mexican Americans

Research indicates that social support that is provided by fellow church members is associated with better health. The goal of the current study is to contribute to this literature in three potentially important ways. First, the effects of received support are contrasted with a second measure of support–satisfaction with support received. Second, it is hypothesized that the effects of church-based support on self-rated health will depend upon the level of religious commitment. Third, these issues are examined with data from a nationwide survey of older Mexican Americans. The findings suggest that satisfaction with support, but not received support, is associated with better health. However, the results further reveal that these potentially important benefits are only evident among older Mexican Americans who are more committed to their faith.

Admission Officers’ Impressions of Homeschooled Applicants in Evangelical and Nonevangelical Colleges and Universities

Impressions of admission officers toward homeschooled applicants were examined. Specifically, this study sought to ascertain whether the perceptions of admission officers adhered to the common stereotype that homeschoolers are brighter and yet socially less well-adjusted than average. The responses of 121 admission officers were analyzed across several variables to determine which were associated with the homeschooler stereotype. The variables explored were politically conservative versus liberal, level of religious commitment, working or not working at a Christian college or university, size of institution, and years of employment as an admission officer. Chi-square analyses revealed that admission officers working at member institutions of the Council for Christian College & Universities (CCCU) were found to be more likely to view homeschooled applicants as less socially adjusted than admission officers not working at member institutions of the CCCU. Correlational analyses indicated that the more politically conservative admission officers were, the more likely they were to view homeschooled applicants as academically superior, more likely to consider homeschooling their own children, and more likely to perceive their institution to be homeschooler friendly. Religious attitudes and size of insitution were not predictive. Years as admission officer tended to predict not endorsing the homeschooler stereotype. Potential explanations of the findings are discussed, including the possibility of confirmation bias. Some of the findings are counter-intuitive. Practical implications for those working as admission officers in Christian higher education are also presented.

Urban Green Cover as a Predictor of Altruism: A Study of Dehradun and Haridwar

Urban 'angst', incivility, crime, lack of empathy and reduced social support counterbalance the economic benefits of living in cities. The long-term psychological and social effects of these conditions are well-known. One notable consequence of living in cities is a decrease in helping behavior, which is closely linked to the trait of altruism where help is given without expectation of return.As cities become increasingly complex, altruism is threatened by rising levels of materialism and competition for scarce resources. At the same time, it is more necessary than ever to foster this trait amongst city-dwellers, for protecting individual integrity, identity and mental health from disorganization in the new urban order. The phenomenon of urbanization is irreversible. However, its negative consequences can be moderated by enhancing the livability of cities. Urban green cover plays a vital role in achieving this goal.AltruismHelping or pro-social behavior is generally defined as any behavior carried out with the intention of benefiting another person. However, the helper either consciously or unconsciously engages in the prosocial behavior because s/he will be rewarded. The key point that differentiates helping from altruism is that helping may involve a selfish motivation. There is no such motive present in altruism.Altruism is helping behavior (without expectation of extrinsic rewards and sometimes involving personal risk or sacrifice) that benefits individuals or society. is a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing another's (Batson, 1991).Conditionsfostering AltruismThe proposal that empathie concern produces altruistic motivation has been called the empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson, 1991). Empathy is a term used for the processes employed by an individual to understand the subjective experience of others. Empathie concern has been found to direct attention to the long-term welfare of those in need, producing more sensitive care (Sibicky, Schroeder, & Dovidio, 1995). Empathy-induced altruism has also been found to improve attitudes toward stigmatized groups, including racial minorities, people with AIDS, the homeless, even convicted murderers and drug dealers.Nelson and Dynes (1976) explored the impact of religious devotion and attendance at religious services on a variety of helping behaviors. The researchers found that devotionalism, church attendance and level of religious commitment were positively correlated with levels of helping behavior, both in routine and emergency situations.Social skills training that improves people's empathising abilities (Stepien & Baemstein, 2006) also tends to improve their ability to be altruistic. Altruism can be fostered, especially among the young (Sutton et al., 2006). Essentially, nurturing people is the best way of nurturing their altruism (Knafo & Plomin, 2006). Conversely, people who are not nurtured tend to become both physically and emotionally insensitive to the needs of others (DeWall & Baumeister, 2006).Physical conditions of the environment effect on altruismDefensible space (DS) theory suggests that the architectural features and physical layout of residential buildings substantially influence patterns of informal contact among neighbors and informal surveillance. Contact among neighbors and informal surveillance are, in turn, known to be linked to strength of community and levels of crime (Taylor, 1988). Although defensible space theory says very little about vegetation per se, the theory clearly has implications for natural as well as built features of residential outdoor spaces.Green spaces in cities may strengthen community interaction, thereby reinforcing social ties which lead to higher incidence of helping behaviour. In addition, the restorative benefits of natural vegetation (e.g. Frerichs, 2004) would reduce attention fatigue. Residents would be able to more quickly perceive incidences requiring help and make more accurate appraisals of the urgency of the situation. …