Religious Establishment
Divine Policy: The Impact of Religion in Government
Jeanet Sinding Bentzen, Alessandro Pizzigolotto & Lena Lindbjerg Sperling
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, January 2026, Pages 195-247
Abstract:
Can policies shape personal values and beliefs? To examine, we exploit the staggered introduction of faith-based initiatives across US states. Our difference-in-differences analysis reveals that the initiatives strengthened religiosity and conservative-religious social views, such as attitudes against homosexuals. The evidence points to causal effects; we find no systematic differences prior to implementation, the results are robust to restricting comparison to contiguous counties and to conducting triple-differences estimation exploiting treatment heterogeneity. A key explanation, in line with standard models of religion and supported by data on nonprofit organizations, is that the initiatives facilitated the establishment of faith-based organizations.
Competition for heritable wealth, not cultural group selection, drives the evolution of monogamy
Gabriel Šaffa et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 6 January 2025
Abstract:
The decline of polygyny and the rise of monogamy among complex, stratified societies characterized by high wealth inequality present a long-standing puzzle in anthropology. Competing explanations suggest that monogamy either i) reduces reproductive inequality, fosters cooperation, and enhances success in intergroup competition, or ii) mitigates conflict over heritable wealth -- especially land -- under conditions of high social stratification and ecological constraints. Both frameworks are influenced by the history of Indo-European societies, where monogamy has long been normative and closely associated with land inheritance and state formation. However, normative monogamy is also found in many societies beyond this historical context. To evaluate these competing hypotheses, we formalized their causal structure and applied Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models to a global sample of 186 societies. Our results show that monogamy is strongly associated with land privatization and, in some regions, with ecological or demographic proxies for land scarcity -- supporting the view that competition over heritable wealth promotes monogamy globally. In contrast, support for the intergroup competition model is inconsistent: While it may explain monogamy in some language families, these dynamics do not extend to most societies in our sample. Our findings suggest that monogamy arose repeatedly under similar socioecological conditions and cannot be fully explained by theories based primarily on Indo-European history.
The Social and Political Perspectives of Believing and Non-Believing Religious Nones
Philip Schwadel
Sociology of Religion, forthcoming
Abstract:
Sociologists point to important social and political distinctions within religions yet we generally treat the roughly one-in-three Americans with no religious affiliation (aka Nones) as a homogeneous population. Using nationally-representative survey data, I compare the social and political perspectives of Nones who believe in God, believe in a higher power, are skeptical of any knowledge about the existence of God, and do not believe in God. Results show that across 16 different social and political perspectives (e.g. racial resentment, traditional gender roles, political intolerance, capital punishment, school prayer, abortion, and confidence in government), Nones who believe in God are notably different than other Nones, and often more similar to believing religious affiliates than to other Nones. I conclude by noting that while sociologists and popular discourse portray Nones as distinct from religious Americans, these findings make clear that believing Nones have quite different social and political perspectives than non-believing Nones.
Slippery slope thinking links religiosity to punishment
Rajen Anderson, Benjamin Ruisch & Maryam Kouchaki
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, January 2026
Abstract:
Major contemporary religions tend to emphasize self-control and moral purity in their believers. Such belief systems may have implications for moral judgments and social predictions. One topic that has received attention — with mixed results — is the relative punitiveness of religious believers. In the present research, we examine whether religiosity predicts punitive attitudes and propose a novel mechanism: slippery slope thinking, in which small changes are predicted to have potentially disastrous consequences. In eight samples across three nations and religious traditions, we find that greater religiosity is associated with greater slippery slope thinking. This association is related to psychological tendencies to believe in karma and moralize matters of self-control. Furthermore, we find that slippery slope thinking helps explain why more religious people are more punitive, especially for relatively minor transgressions. This research provides insight into the psychology of religious beliefs and provides a cognitive mechanism (slippery slope thinking) linking religiosity and punishment.
Congregational Racial Composition and Mental Health Among Black Churchgoers in the United States
Anna Holleman
Sociology of Religion, forthcoming
Abstract:
Much research has examined the adverse effects of racialized norms and discriminatory practices in predominantly White institutions, or “White spaces,” on Black people and their mental health. Though research has shown that predominantly White congregations uphold similar racialized norms and practices as other predominantly White institutions, the corresponding relationship to mental health has not been investigated. Using two nationally representative datasets, I find that Black attenders of White congregations differ from Black attenders of Black congregations on key demographic, political, and religious measures. Even after accounting for these differences, I find that Black attenders of White congregations do not report worse mental health than Black attenders of Black congregations. These results stress the differences between Black people who attend predominantly White and predominantly Black congregations, highlight the distinct nature of religious communities, and raise questions about the association between White spaces and the mental health and well-being of racial minorities.
Evidential Vulnerability of Religious Beliefs in the Context of Petitionary Prayers
Ze Hong, Cheneryue Zhang & Anzhuo Wang
Cognitive Science, December 2025
Abstract:
Petitionary prayers — requests made to a deity for specific outcomes — are widely practiced across religious traditions. While their efficacy remains a subject of theological debate, they exhibit remarkable resilience to disconfirmation. In three pre-registered studies — a field study in China and two global surveys via Prolific — we examined how religious believers (Christians, Muslims, local deity worshippers, and Hindus) update beliefs and behaviors in response to prayer successes or failures for both hypothetical co-religionists and themselves. Results indicate that belief updates generally follow a Bayesian pattern, with increases after prayer successes and decreases after failures, though with an asymmetry favoring belief reinforcement. Notably, participants from the Prolific sample exhibit sensitivity to the prior probability of prayed-for events, attributing greater belief increases to improbable outcomes. Muslims predict belief increases even after failed prayers, consistent with doctrines framing hardships as divine tests. Across traditions, believers estimate continued prayer regardless of past outcomes, with monotheists displaying stronger resilience. These findings illuminate the cognitive and cultural mechanisms that buffer religious beliefs against counter-evidence, contributing to debates on the evidential vulnerability of religious credence and its parallels with epistemically self-sealing belief systems.
Religiosity and Gender Dynamics in Executive Leadership: Impact on CEO Appointments and Pay Disparities
Dave Bouckenooghe et al.
Journal of Business Ethics, January 2026, Pages 341-355
Abstract:
In our study, we investigated the influence of local religiosity on two key aspects of corporate leadership dynamics: the likelihood of appointing female CEOs during transition periods and the connection between local religiosity and female CEO compensation. Considering the patriarchal underpinnings common to major religions which often support gender stratification and justify male hierarchical dominance, we anticipated a negative relationship between local religiosity and both the appointment and remuneration of female CEOs. However, our findings based on 2936 data points collected from multiple secondary data sources (e.g., PEW research center, EXECUCOMP, COMPUSTAT, IIS, CSRP) showed no significant relationship between local religiosity and the likelihood of hiring female CEOs. Additionally, our analysis, utilizing both longitudinal data from U.S.-listed firms from 1998 until 2021 (N = 25,826) and a propensity-scored matched sample (N = 1778) revealed that local religiosity has a positive and significant association with female CEO remuneration levels. These findings suggest that a premium might be paid for female CEOs breaking through the glass ceiling in highly religious states.
Magical Practices and the Recruitment of Women into Rebel Groups
Nazli Avdan, Shelby Davis & Michael Soules
International Studies Quarterly, December 2025
Abstracts:
Magical practices play a central role in the indoctrination and socialization processes of many rebel organizations. Qualitative scholarship has examined the central role that women play as practitioners of magic in some of these organizations. Some women are believed to have the powers to perform various rituals that help protect recipients, as well as enhance their fighting capabilities. Thus, groups that practice magic often incorporate women into logistical support roles because of the unique abilities that women are believed to possess in facilitating the use of magic. However, despite the relationship between magical practices and the incorporation of women that has been observed in various rebel groups, the burgeoning quantitative literature on the recruitment of women into armed movements has largely overlooked this association. To remedy this, we combine data on the magical practices of rebel organizations and their recruitment of women into logistical support roles to better understand this association. We find fairly strong evidence of a positive association between the use of magical practices and the recruitment of women into logistical support roles in rebel organizations.
Hardship is Part of Jihad: ISIS-Affiliated Women in the Al-Hol Camp Dealing with Military Defeat Through Social Media “Prison Writings”
Henriette Frees Esholdt & Marco Nilsson
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, forthcoming
Abstract:
Following ISIS’s military defeat in 2019, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) detained thousands of alleged ISIS members, including many foreign nationals, in temporary detention facilities — the largest one being the al-Hol camp. Women and children comprise the majority of ISIS-affiliated individuals held there, and the question of repatriation has been widely debated by the media, humanitarian organizations, and politicians. Yet, no scholarly research has examined firsthand accounts from detained ISIS-affiliated women in al-Hol. This study addresses this gap by exploring rare, hard-to-access social media “prison writings” from eight detained ISIS-affiliated women in the al-Hol camp, offering unique insights into their emotional landscape in the aftermath of ISIS’s military defeat. Despite feeling forgotten by the international community, the ummah, and particularly by ISIS men, the women appear to remain steadfast in their dedication to ISIS, framing hardship — including their captivity — as God’s divine test of faith and devotion. While patience is portrayed as a divine means of endurance, this struggle extends beyond the inner struggle (i.e., the “greater jihad”) to encompass a higher purpose tied to the external, violent struggle for Islam (i.e., the “lesser jihad”). Some women even express aspirations to fight as female warriors, aligning themselves with the classical doctrine of defensive jihad. Moreover, the roles of mothers, wives, and “martyrs’ widows” are mobilized to cope with ISIS’s defeat and sustain its ideological project. Despite feelings of failed motherhood, the women suggest that true maternal success lies in transmitting ideological values to the next generation -- particularly by highlighting girls as ideological role models vital to the continuity of the Islamic State. Thus, the study underscores that female agency within the movement is contested, as the ISIS-affiliated women in the al-Hol camp emphasize the indispensable role of women and express a desire for greater agency.