Religion & Politics

Religion & Politics is a new online journal that promises to find a middle ground between scholarly articles and popular press. It is developed by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, at Washington University in St. Louis. If you are interested in the intersection of these two areas of life, it may be worth a look.

Creationism, Indiana Style

The Indiana State Senate has passed a bill that allows schools to teach creationism. What is different about this bill is that it includes the ability for schools to teach the origin theories of several religions. Republicans who support the bill dominate in both the Senate and the House, so the measure is expected to become law at the end of the legislative session. Given the changing composition of the US Supreme Court, supporters believe that the bill overcomes objections that led to the court to rule against previous creationism bills.

James McGrath, a Butler University professor, has offered an interesting commentary opposing the bill from his perspective as a professor of religion. He questions the extent to which high school teachers are prepared to teach the curriculum, which seems a valid concern.

But perhaps the most interesting twist in this story to me is the fact that the bill's proponents include the creation stories of six religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Scientology. Yes, Scientology. I am not aware of any instances in which Scientology has received such high-level support at a state level. I do not know if this indicates that there is a groundswell of interest in Scientology, or if it is included for more political reasons. In any case, it is a fascinating development.

Religion in Poli Sci, Psychology, and our Social World

Over the years, psychologists of religion have bemoaned the neglect of religion's role in people's behavior. A new report shows that psychology is not alone in this. Religion is ignored in political science, too. In some ways this seems a bit surprising, given the high profile religion has in US politics. Religion is often a part of presidential elections, and especially so in this cycle with numerous stories about whether Evangelical Republicans can/should/will support Mitt Romney, who seems objectionable to them both for his 'flip-flopping' stance on social issues, and for his Mormonism. The subject of religion has come up in other ways, too. For instance, there have been recent polls finding that voters in most districts would be loathe to elect an atheist or a Muslim, or Newt Gingrich's conversion to Catholicism, or Santorum or Perry's stance on issues connected with the evangelical vote. But, in terms of popular press, those stories take a distant second to Mitt's Mormonism.

So, it is interesting that the topic has been neglected in political science research in spite of its relevance to current events.

We face a similar problem in the psychology of religion. Much of our research and work deals with interesting theoretical questions. Another common topic concerns the much-less-interesting effort to devise new scales, which Gorsuch and others have bemoaned for decades. What we could use, however, is more current, socially-relevant research. Religion and spirituality are vital parts of many people's everyday lives. Religion and spirituality impact us on many levels, from how we process information, to how we interact with other individuals, to what we direct our social institutions to do.

I would argue that when we improve our discipline's connection with the world around us, we will also increase our stature within psychology. The embrace of health psychology is a good example of this change. Whereas two or three decades ago it was unusual for an introductory textbook to have a chapter devoted to health psychology, it has become common now. Psychology has much to contribute to our understanding of health, and health is an area of life that interests many of our students (as well as society at large). The same is true of religion, and if psychologists of religion investigate socially relevant aspects of our field, we will facilitate the growth and development of the psychology of religion.

Insight Turkey

The editor of Insight Turkey seeks people interested in reviewing books relevant to social and religious aspects of life in Turkey. as well as article manuscripts. If your research investigates Islam, religion and politics, or related topics, you may wish to consider Insight Turkey. This peer-reviewed journal publishes articles that address a broader range of topics than the title might seem to imply. The current issue includes such articles as:

• A Research Note on Islam, Democracy, and Secularism
  
• Democracy in Muslim Contexts: What Africa Can Bring to the Discussion?
  
• Islam and Democracy in Indonesia
  
• and Peacemaking between America and the Muslim World: A New Beginning?

"Conserving" the Bible

You likely have come across this item already, but I am posting it here just in case. Conservapedia's Bible Project is underway to enhance the Bible so that it better reflects conservative values or assumptions. When I have checked the page, it has been so busy that I received a "Failed to Open Page" error. You can view a summary of the project, however, at this Beliefnet page.

American Nones

A new report, American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population announces that 15% of the US populace selects "None" when asked about their religious preference. Based on the American Religious Identification Survey, authors Kosmin, Keysar, Cragun and Navarro-Rivera further analyze the ARIS data to uncover the demographic and social characteristics of this group, which has nearly doubled in its presence in the US over the past 18 years. Although they focus on social and demographic characteristics, the report is fascinating. Men are more likely to report "None" than are women, and the nature of their belief also differs, with more men reporting agnosticism and women more likely to report theism. "Nones" are similar to religious believers in terms of economics and several other characteristics. Politically, they are less likely to be republicans and more likely to be independents.

An unanswered question is what factors account for the increase in Nones during the 1990s. Nevertheless, the report is fascinating and deserves to be widely read.

Religious Extremism in Arizona

ABC15.com television reports on a church in Tempe whose pastor, Steven Anderson, prays that the President "die of brain cancer, like Ted Kennedy." The Faithful Word Baptist Church claims to be a family-centered church. If you have the stomach for it, you can listen to Anderson's sermons.

Honestly, studying religious belief is a fascinating thing... but it is disheartening sometimes.

Ted Kennedy on Religion in Society

At The Religion Clause, Howard Friedman has posted an extended quote from Ted Kennedy's speech at Liberty University, known for the conservative religious and political views of its founder, Jerry Falwell in 1983. Click there and remember a man who had a significant impact on US society, and managed to work people in both political parties, and with divergent religious views.

Interview with Andrew McCarthy

Andrew McCarthy was the main prosecutor in the US government's case against Sheik Omar Abdel Rahmen, the "blind sheikh" who was convicted for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. You can view a fascinating interview with McCarthy on the Book TV website. The longer the interview goes, the more interesting it is. You may or may not agree with interviewer Hugh Hewitt, who is a polarizing figure in American politics, but McCarthy's perspective is worth paying attention to if you are interested in radical Islam.

Religion's Impact on US States

For people with a more socio-political interest in religion:

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Impact of Religion on Politics and Policy in the American States

Guest Editors:
Paul A. Djupe, Denison University
Laura R. Olson, Clemson University

In a forthcoming volume in 2008-2009, State Politics and Policy Quarterly will publish a special issue dedicated to exploring the impact of religion on American state politics and public policy. The journal invites manuscripts from a wide range of theoretical and methodological perspectives whose authors take advantage of the American states as a research setting.

Manuscripts should illuminate the nature of religious influence on politics and policy, for which a comparative, multi-state design is particularly appropriate and powerful, while maintaining an emphasis on political outcomes. Political outcomes might include the appearance and fate of ballot measures, executive proposals, legislative behavior and statutory actions, dimensions of interest group activity, party and candidate behavior, electoral outcomes, public opinion, citizen participation in the policy process, and public policy implementation and effectiveness.

The deadline for paper submissions is September 15, 2008. All manuscripts received by this deadline will be reviewed. All submissions will undergo our double-blind, peer-reviewed process, and will also benefit from the regular editorial reviews by editors, David Lowery, Ronald Weber, and Richard Winters. Manuscripts should be a maximum of 35 pages long (inclusive), double spaced, and otherwise in accord with the general submission guidelines of SPPQ (available on the journal’s website: http://cspl.uis.edu/InstituteForLegislativeStudies/SPPQ/InstructionsContributors.htm).

Questions and submissions should be directed to Paul Djupe (djupe /at/ denison.edu), Laura Olson (laurao /at/ clemson.edu), or Richard Winters (sppq /at/ dartmouth.edu).
(Substitute the @ symbol for /at/ if you wish to contact one of the editors.)

Loyalty to State; Loyalty to Religion

A story from Inside Higher Ed describes a math instructor whose employment was terminated because she did not endorse a loyalty oath. The article begins:

"Many people think of loyalty oaths as relics of the McCarthy era, long ago outlawed or abandoned. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has banned only certain kinds of loyalty oaths, permitting others. Last week, a mathematics instructor at California State University East Bay lost her job for refusing to sign one.

"Marianne Kearney-Brown, who is also a graduate student at East Bay, tried to add a word to the state’s Oath of Allegiance so that it would conform with her Quaker beliefs. The university offered her the chance to add a statement with her views, but insisted that she sign the oath, unaltered, and said that it had no choice but to fire her when she refused. "

Oaths and statements of belief are not unheard of in academe, but they seem most often to help in self-selecting. For example, a friend of mine is a Catholic, and sought employment at a Protestant University. After consulting with his priest, he felt comfortable in working at the institution because he saw his beliefs to be consistent with the institution's statement of faith. Nowadays, this is the way the scenario typically plays out.

The Kearney-Brown case is a bit different, of course. A state institution demanding a loyalty oath of an employee, who wishes to make clear that she is not willing to support violence because of her religious beliefs. It strikes me as heavy-handed and unevenly applied, given that she altered other oaths in government employment in the past, with no consequence. At the same time, I do not understand why she thought it inadequate that she add a statement of her views. Perhaps there are legal or other consequences of which I am unaware.

At any rate, it is an interesting story in higher ed. And in the senseless bureaucracy that US Education has become, the real irony is revealed in the San Francisco Chronicle's coverage of the story:

"I was kind of stunned," said Kearney-Brown, who is pursuing her master's degree in math to earn the credentials to do exactly the job she is being fired from.

UCSIA Summer School

Universitair Centrum Sint Ignatius Antwerpen announces its special summer school on religion, culture and society. The focus of this year's summer school will be political multiculturalism. It will be in Antwerp August 31 - September 7. Applications must be received by April 20. Current PhD students and postdocs are especially encouraged to apply.

Haidt and Morality

I have deep respect for Jonathan Haidt's research. He investigates some of the most interesting and important social issues of our time, such as how people construe morality, and how they rely on feelings to arrive at decisions. A friend pointed me toward this lecture by Haidt at the Beyond Belief conference sponsored by The Science Network. Haidt suggests that part of the "culture wars" facing US society has to do with the way that conservatives and liberals view morality. What he says makes a lot of sense to me; it is well worth your time to watch. The website says that a DVD will soon be available for purchase, but for now you can view the lecture onlilne.

The Roots of Fear

Newsweek magazine has an article, The Roots of Fear, that you may find interesting. The article does a good job of describing research on fear, and its ability to overpower reason. It is cast in the context of politics, but it is relevant to other areas of psychology as well.

Science and Politics

On the Psychology of Religion listserve operated by APA Division 36 was a reminder of APA's need to maintain political neutrality. It contained the usual suggestion to refrain from endorsing a candidate or a party in general, but particularly during the run-up to an election. Good advice for an organization that needs to maintain its tax-exempt status.

Coincidentally, just before reading that email I read this story about science and politics. These days, it seems difficult to do science and have it understood by people whose political ideology forms the lens through which they view the world. That seems to be the main point of the Science Idol Cartoon Contest sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The winning cartoon nails it. Check it out. The finalists are worth viewing, too.

Religion and Prejudice

Recently on the APA Division 36 (psychology of religion) email discussion list there was some discussion of "microaggression" and religion. In a nutshell, microaggressions are the comments one might hear that suggest subtle prejudice. Saying something like, "You are very smart for a hispanic," (or woman, or other group member) would be an example. But as I understand it, much more innocuous statements would also be considered to be "microaggressions". Apparently, the idea has been applied mainly to racial groups, with the point of the research being that prejudice and bias against groups is still going strong.

The writer of the original post sought feedback regarding how well the concept might apply to religion, and whether it would be useful to study prejudice against religion in a microaggression framework. In my opinion, the best reply was when someone asked why we need to study microaggression in religion, when overt, in-your-face prejudice is condoned. He pointed out questions raised concerning Mitt Romney's candidacy because of his religion. Several poll results indicate that a substantial portion of people, both political liberals and conservatives, are reluctant to vote for Romney because of his religion. Here is one story reporting this type of poll result, and here is another.

I was reminded of this today when I read a story on the Reuters news wire saying thatTom Cruise is not welcome to film in Germany because of his support of Scientology. Maybe there is something useful to be gained by studying microaggressions in the context of religion... but it seems that much remains to be learned about overt prejudice in the religious sphere. I write this not to support Scientology or even Romney, but as a commentary about the idea of prejudice toward religion. Some religions seem to have much more benign effects on society and individuals than do others, and each of us likely has our own preferences for and against various religions. But here is my question: If we are going to study prejudice toward religion, should we begin with the overt or the subtle? Any thoughts about which would be most informative and would contribute most to a better world?