Religious Commitment Research Articles

Religiously Grounded Character and Its Association with Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adults: A Latent Profile Analysis

Subjective Well-Being (SWB) is a central indicator of mental health and overall quality of life in emerging adulthood; religiosity can contribute to this outcome. Emerging research suggests that religious identity and virtues not only can contribute independently to SWB but may work together in shaping it. Given this interplay, the present study adopts a person-centered approach, using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), to investigate profiles of emerging adults showing a similar configuration of religious identity and virtues and to examine their contribution to SWB. Two-hundred and ninety-one emerging adults living in Italy aged 18 to 30 completed an online survey asking for various demographic variables, religious status, religious affiliation, religious practices, religious identity (U-MICS Religious domain), character strengths and virtues (VIA- IS), and subjective well-being (SWLS and SPANE). A best-fitting model consisting of three distinct, non-overlapping profiles, each demonstrating a unique configuration of religious identity dimensions (commitment, in-depth exploration, reconsideration) and virtues (Transcendence, Humanity, Temperance), emerged. These profiles were differently associated with SWB. Specifically, individuals in the Engaged with High Religious Virtues profile displayed high levels of religious commitment and exploration, paired with high levels of religious virtues, particularly Transcendence, and exhibited the highest levels of SWB. These findings suggest that religious identity and virtues are strictly intertwined and that higher levels of this conjoint integration correspond to greater SWB. Future interventions aimed at fostering religious self-exploration and cultivating religiously grounded virtues can be particularly effective at this stage of the life cycle.

Unpacking role of environmental awareness in the triad relationship of religious commitment, environmental values and intentions in Indian textile industry

Unpacking role of environmental awareness in the triad relationship of religious commitment, environmental values and intentions in Indian textile industry

Wellness under pandemic: a study of family support and religious commitment as antidotes to psychological distress under social disconnectedness policy in Pakistan

Wellness under pandemic: a study of family support and religious commitment as antidotes to psychological distress under social disconnectedness policy in Pakistan

The role of religious coping and commitment in the link between COVID-19-related concerns and mental health

ABSTRACT The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether the associations between COVID-19-related concerns and anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic growth are mediated by religious coping and moderated by religious commitment. The sample comprised 247 Polish adults (125 women and 122 men) aged 18–60 years who completed measures of COVID-19-related concerns, religious coping, religious commitment, posttraumatic growth, anxiety, and depression. The results indicated that religious coping mediates the associations between COVID-19-related concerns and mental health outcomes. Furthermore, religious commitment moderates the indirect effects of COVID-19-related concerns on depression and posttraumatic growth through positive religious coping. Thus, the relationships between COVID-19-related concerns and depression and posttraumatic growth are embedded in the moderated mediating effect of religious commitment. Specifically, individuals with high levels of religious commitment who are more concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely to turn to positive religious coping, which is, in turn, associated with lower levels of depression and higher levels of posttraumatic growth compared to those with lower levels of religious commitment. The findings indicate that religious strategies fall within the broader scope of religious commitment. Highly committed individuals use religious coping more effectively, helping them manage depression and thrive amidst pandemic stress.

Impact of religious commitment on consumer’s decision making styles

Impact of religious commitment on consumer’s decision making styles

The extended theory of planned behavior in customer’s intention to visit halal hotels

Purpose This study aims to explore the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in understanding Muslim consumers’ visitation motives to halal hotels. The model tests the impact of additional factors to the TPB such as religious commitment, religious-identification and information seeking behavior on consumers’ attitudes and intentions to visit Halal hotels. Design/methodology/approach Survey data was collected from 183 respondents to examine the relationships between these factors and customers’ intention to visit halal hotels. The survey participants were selected from diverse backgrounds to ensure a representative sample. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the conceptual model. Findings This study highlights the significance of attitudes shaped by subjective norms and information seeking behavior, emphasizing their influence on consumers’ inclination to visit halal hotels. In addition, the role of religious commitment is examined, shedding light on the impact of individuals’ strong faith in shaping their attitudes and behaviors toward halal hotels. Originality/value These results contribute to the existing literature on Halal consumer behavior and provide practical implications for professionals and policymakers in the hospitality industry. Understanding the factors that influence customers’ intentions to visit halal hotels can assist in developing tailored marketing strategies and creating an inclusive environment.

The Level of Trust of Young Catholics in the Institutional Representatives of the Catholic Church: An Example from Poland

The article addresses the issue of the level of trust in the Catholic clergy in Poland among the youngest adult Catholics. The authors formulate their conclusions on the basis of a literature review and their own extensive research conducted among young adult Catholics born after 1995 (Generation Z). The research focused on the level of trust assessed with regard to the hierarchical division of the clergy in the Catholic Church as well as scandals involving priests exposed in recent years. The performed analyses took into account the level of religious commitment of young Catholics and their attitudes towards the role of the hierarchical Church in solving their problems. The research results indicate a significant level of trust in the Pope, a slightly lower level of trust in parish priests, and a very low level of trust in bishops and the institution of the Catholic Church in general. The decisive majority of those following religious observances and declaring compliance with the moral principles in line with Church teachings maintain trust in the institution of the Church. The final conclusions point to the need to manage the trust of the faithful as beneficiaries and clients of religious organisations such as the Church.

Class and Religious Commitment in Iran: Testing Competing Hypotheses

Class and Religious Commitment in Iran: Testing Competing Hypotheses

Prestasi Mahasiswa Berstatus Nikah pada Masa Studi di Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara

This study aims to explore the motivations, impacts, and academic achievements of students who marry while pursuing their studies at the Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara. The research uses a qualitative approach with data collection through interviews, observations, and documentation. Primary data was obtained from interviews with five students who married during their studies, while secondary data was gathered from relevant literature and journals. The findings reveal that the main motivations for students to marry during their studies are to avoid zina (adultery), uphold religious commitments, and prepare for family life. The impact of marriage includes difficulties in balancing study time with household responsibilities, but students report receiving positive emotional support from their spouses. On the other hand, some students face challenges in completing their studies on time and experience disagreements with their spouses. Their academic achievements vary, with some students graduating on time, although there were delays in thesis work and class attendance. This study provides insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by married students, as well as the importance of social support and effective communication with spouses to overcome these obstacles.

What does religion have to do with it: Exploring noninstitutional arguments for effective enforcement of IPR

AbstractThrough this paper the authors intend to establish a connect between religion and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) particularly how various religions have justified IPRs and analyze whether religion can prove to be the much‐needed enforcement tool to fight infringement of IPRs. Intellectual Property is a domain which is governed purely by creativity and technology and has traditionally been justified by utilitarianism. However, the evidence we are in possession of does not entirely justify the rationale of exclusive rights granted under the current IPR regime. While questioning the contradictory evidence seems as a logical move, instead scholars are turning to nonindustrial faith‐based arguments which justify intellectual property as a moral end in itself. A growing number of academics are choosing to devote at least a portion of their research to examining how religious thought can influence approaches to difficult intellectual property questions because they find the religious texts to be a rich source of inspiration on both temporal and eternal issues. A major obstacle in the enforcement of IPR is that people are not entirely convinced that infringing IPR is unethical. This enforcement challenge, surprisingly in the presence of legislations, may be tackled by informal institutions such as religious commitments.

Assessing the Feasibility of the Uniform Civil Code in a Diverse and Secular India

India is a nation celebrated for its rich religious diversity and commitment to secularism. Personal laws for religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity currently govern civil matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. However, Article 44 of the Indian Constitution advocates for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to establish a uniform legal framework, potentially advancing gender equality and promoting national integration. This research paper explores the feasibility of implementing a UCC in India by examining the benefits of a UCC, including its impact on reducing gender disparities, while addressing concerns over cultural autonomy and religious freedom. The latter half of the paper also provides policy recommendations for implementing the UCC in India.

Religion and Environment: The Role of Religiosity on Pro-environmental Behavior Among University Students in Indonesia

Numerous environmental problems in various countries occur as a result of human misbehavior in interacting with their environment. Therefore, to maintain balance in the relationship between humans and the natural environment, it is necessary to develop pro-environmental behavior. This study aims to investigate the role of religiosity on pro-environmental behavior. This research employed a quantitative-correlational method. The participants in this study were 205 university students aged 18-24 years who were selected by convenience sampling technique. This study used two primary instruments to measure the two research variables: Religious Commitment Inventory - 10 (RCI-10) to measure religiosity and the General Ecological Behavior Scale to measure pro-environmental behavior. The research data were analyzed using regression analysis techniques. The analysis showed that religiosity has a significant role as a predictor of pro-environmental behavior among university students. This means that the higher the level of religiosity, the higher pro-environmental behavior. These findings have practical implications for environmental conservation programs. It is important to develop pro-environmental behavior intervention programs for the community by instilling religious values that could encourage awareness, and then behavior, of environmental sustainability. Keywords: religion, religiosity, pro-environmental behavior, environmental psychology, environment

The Faithless Analyst.

In this lecture, I wish to speak about the faithless analyst. This is an analyst without fixed religious notions, without specific preferences with regard to religious faith and practice, without religious commitments or attachments of the kind that would influence the course of the analysis. Is this possible? Analysts like everyone else grow up in specific cultures that are deeply entangled with religious traditions. Can analysts shed this formation when they enter the consulting room? Should they? Values come with religious faith and practice. Should the analyst shed such religiously based values for the sake of absolute neutrality? I want to think about such faithlessness as an impossible ideal for analytical practice and how to work with failures to remain faithless in the presence of different faiths or the absence of faith among patients.

Differences in Religious Commitment and Harm Reduction Attitudes Among US Medical Students by Sex Assigned at Birth: A Pilot Study.

Harm reduction emphasizes positive change by working with individuals without judgment, coercion, discrimination, or requiring abstinence from drugs to receive support. This study examines how religious commitment and medical student attitudes toward harm reduction approaches for substance use differ based on sex assigned at birth. Participants from a US osteopathic medical school completed the revised Harm Reduction Acceptability Scale and the Belief into Action Scale.Statistical analyses revealed that males had significantly higher harm reduction acceptability scores than females. Moreover, a significant negative correlation between religious commitment and harm reduction acceptance was found, indicating that stronger religious commitment was linked to lower acceptance of harm reduction. To build on this cross-sectional exploratory study, further research is needed to delve deeper into sex differences in medical students' attitudes and the role of religious commitment in harm reduction. Future studies should explore the direction and causality of these relationships.

‘To Each Their Own’

Abstract In 2014 a violent encounter unfolded at the royal cemetery of Betsioka between Christian evangelists and their antagonists: spirit mediums, shrine caretakers, and monarchical-ancestral spirits (tromba). The narratives provided by members of the Malagasy Church of Jesus Christ, alongside those offered by spirits and their human supplicants, paint an intimate portrait of the two groups’ competing ideologies. The event emerged from longstanding tensions between indigenous Sakalava communities and highlander Protestant migrants who demonize possession rituals attached to the Sakalava monarchical system. Critically, both parties mediated their disagreement through the shared understanding that each individual has a unique destiny and should be free to follow their own religious commitments. Discourse on predestined individual difference challenged the actions of evangelists who saw the ‘traditions of the ancestors’ as incommensurable with Christian life. Increasing Christian nationalism on the island highlights the awkward place that aggressive proselytization occupies in religious rights debates.

How Religiousness Increases and Decreases Prejudice: The Mediating Roles of Religious Fundamentalism and Religious Ethnocentrism

ABSTRACT We hypothesized that while both religious commitment and quest orientation directly reduce prejudice, their overall influence would largely depend on their indirect effects through two serial mediators: religious fundamentalism and religious ethnocentrism. Our study (N = 429) examined six different forms of prejudice (toward Muslims, Jews, Blacks, atheists, homosexuals, the poor). Serial mediation path analyses confirmed that (a) religious fundamentalism and religious ethnocentrism mediate the connection between religious commitment and prejudice and between quest orientation and prejudice, and (b) religious ethnocentrism mediates the connection between religious fundamentalism and prejudice. For all six forms of prejudice, religious ethnocentrism was the stronger predictor of prejudice. Consistently, religious commitment directly decreased prejudice but indirectly increased prejudice through heightened levels of religious fundamentalism, and in turn, heightened levels of religious ethnocentrism. The implications of these findings, and the importance of studying factors that moderate the direct and indirect influences of religiousness, are discussed.

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT ON ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARDS HALAL HOTELS

This study is aimed at examining the impact of religious commitment on Malay Muslim behavior to select a halal hotel which attitude is considered a mediating variable. The research findings are beneficial for both academicians and practitioners in the domain of Islamic tourism.The study is based on the Theory of Reasoned Action , arguing that religious commitment affects the willingness of Malays to note their intention and dislike the halal hotel selected.A Structural Equation Modeling approach was adopted to analyze the data drawn from the survey of 492 respondents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Respondents who agreed to participate in the survey had to sign the consent form.It was discovered that religious commitment has a significant impact on the attitude as well as the behavioral intention of consumers when the obtained effect sizes are equal to.306 and.443, respectively. On the other hand, the attitude serves as a partial mediating factor with an effect size of.129. The research findings may be useful for hoteliers wishing to develop their marketing strategies to attract Malay Muslim customers who consider the intention to select a halal hotel as well as their attitude.

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT ON ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARDS HALAL HOTELS

This study is aimed at examining the impact of religious commitment on Malay Muslim behavior to select a halal hotel which attitude is considered a mediating variable. The research findings are beneficial for both academicians and practitioners in the domain of Islamic tourism.The study is based on the Theory of Reasoned Action , arguing that religious commitment affects the willingness of Malays to note their intention and dislike the halal hotel selected.A Structural Equation Modeling approach was adopted to analyze the data drawn from the survey of 492 respondents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Respondents who agreed to participate in the survey had to sign the consent form.It was discovered that religious commitment has a significant impact on the attitude as well as the behavioral intention of consumers when the obtained effect sizes are equal to.306 and.443, respectively. On the other hand, the attitude serves as a partial mediating factor with an effect size of.129. The research findings may be useful for hoteliers wishing to develop their marketing strategies to attract Malay Muslim customers who consider the intention to select a halal hotel as well as their attitude.

Selkea! Memories of Eating Non-Kosher Food among the Spanish–Moroccan Jewish Diaspora in Israel

Drawing on life-story interviews and ethnography conducted in Israel from 2009 to 2023, this article examines how members of the Spanish-speaking Moroccan–Jewish diaspora in Israel recalled their habits of eating non-kosher food in Morocco. We explore how these memories emerged in response to commonplace discourses that depict Moroccan Jews as a distinctly religious-traditional ethnic group, untouched by European secular influences, and dichotomous to modern secular cultures in Israel. Contrary to this image, members of the community whom we interviewed highlighted a Jewish Moroccan life that was deeply connected to Spanish colonialism and the broader Hispanic and Sephardi worlds. We focus specifically on the concept of selkear, a Haketia (Judeo-Spanish) term meaning to let something go, make an exception, or turn a blind eye. Our analysis of our participants’ memories provides a nuanced understanding of Jewish religiosity in the context of colonialism and of how Mizrahi–Sephardi immigrants in Israel reclaimed their Judaism. Highlighting the practice of eating non-kosher food is thus a strategy used to challenge dominant notions of rigid religious commitment within the Sephardi diaspora and their interpretation in Israel.

A Library in One Volume – The Notebook of the Nineteenth-Century Ismāʿīlī Scholar Sayyidī Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Hamdānī from Surat

Abstract The focus of this article is the eminent Ismāʿīlī scholar Sayyidī Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Hamdānī (1833–98) and his private notebook, which over time he filled with a wide variety of content, ranging across religions, history, the sciences and mathematics, literature, and the occult. The multiple-text manuscript (majmūʿa) is part of the Hamdani Manuscript Collection, now at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London (Ms. 1662). Al-Hamdānī, who is known as an important protagonist in the history of this family library, was also a “moving spirit” in the Daʿwa, the religious and political mission of the Ismāʿīlī Dāʾūdī Bohra Ṭayyibīs in Gujarat. As most of his epistles and his memoirs are not accessible and have not been researched until now, the notebook provides a preliminary testimony, opening a window to his intellectual world. In this article, this unique document is presented in its historical context and described in terms of its materiality, content and use. It is considered as a rich source of information about its owner and the literary holdings a nineteenth-century Bohra scholar could draw on. We also ask what role the personal manuscript might have played with respect to Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Hamdānī’s religious commitments in the Ṭayyibī Daʿwa.