In this episode, Hyram, Ian, and Austin return to the podcast to talk about their rise and fall in religion. This trio goes deep in how religion played a vital role in their lives, how it ultimately left them unsatisfied, and how they adapted to lives without religion. Topics discussed include Christianity, Latter Day Saints, coping with faith crises, suicidal ideation, authentic devotion, falling in love with Jesus, and flat affect.
Want to Learn More on Religion and Psychology? Here are two interesting articles
Article 1 (Prejudice and Homosexuality in Christianity) I copied and pasted the main points of the article.
Trevino, K. M., Desai, K., Lauricella, S., Pargament, K. I., & Mahoney, A. (2012). Perceptions of lesbian and gay (LG) individuals as desecrators of Christianity as predictors of anti-LG attitudes. Journal of Homosexuality, 59(4), 535–563. 10.1080/00918369.2012.665672
Variables/terms:
Religious Coping : First, religious coping theory assumes that individuals proactively search for meaning, evaluate situations in the context of what they view as significant, and cope in order to preserve and protect those significant values,
Hypotheses: higher levels of perceived desecration (stressor) will predict greater prejudice (response) after controlling for personological variables and general religiousness. Second, we hypothesize that positive and negative religious coping with perceived desecration will be associated with lower and higher prejudicial views, respectively. Third, we hypothesize that personological variables, exposure to LG individuals, and exposure to messages of desecration will predict perceptions of LG individuals as desecrators of Christian beliefs.
Results
First, this study demonstrates that perceptions of LG individuals as desecrators of Christianity are relatively common. Over three quarters (77%) of the sample reported exposure to at least one desecration item and more than half (66%) of participants endorsed agreement with at least one desecration item.
Second, participants who viewed LG individuals as desecrators of Christianity reported higher levels of anti-LG attitudes
Third, this study indicates that the way in which individuals cope with perceived desecration is related to prejudice. Specifically, positive religious coping or responses indicative of love and compassion was associated with less hostility and perceived conflict and with the belief that LG individuals deserve greater civil rights
On the other hand, negative religious coping predicted higher levels of hostility, perceived conflict, and immorality and the belief that LG individuals do not deserve greater civil rights.
Fourth, this study also identifies predictors of perceived desecration. Notably, greater exposure to messages of desecration from church, family, and media is associated with greater agreement with perceptions of desecration.
Discussion/explanation
First, these results suggest that the information individuals are exposed to about LG individuals impacts their attitudes. This information can come from messages about LG individuals (e.g., messages of desecration) and from contact with LG individuals (e.g., learning from LG individuals).
Article 2 The usefulness of mindfulness in trauma based rumination in a Christian population.
Knabb, J., Vazquez, V., & Pate, R. (2019). “Set your minds on things above”: shifting from trauma-based ruminations to ruminating on God. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 22(4), 384–399. 10.1080/13674676.2019.1612336
