Anger toward God(s) Among Undergraduates in India

Abstract

Many people report occasional feelings of anger toward God. However, most evidence pertains to western, predominantly Christian populations. In this study, Indian university students (N = 139; 78% Hindu) completed a survey about anger toward God(s). Polytheists (45%) chose one god to focus on. Measurement invariance tests supported comparisons of anger toward God between the predominantly Hindu Indian sample and three mostly Christian U.S. undergraduate samples (Ns = 1040(Ns = , 1811. Indian participants reported more current and situation-specific anger toward God than U.S. participants, but less anger toward God over their lifetimes. In the Indian sample, anger toward God correlated positively with other indicators of religious/spiritual struggle, seeing God as cruel and distant, and seeing anger toward God as morally acceptable. Regarding an event involving suffering, anger toward God related positively to the event's harmfulness, seeing God as responsible, seeing God's actions as negative, and responses involving substance use and protest toward God. Generally, these findings replicated those from prior U.S. samples. Polytheists who preferred some gods over others or chose to follow a different god reported greater anger toward gods. Results uphold the comparability of anger toward God(s) between Indian and U.S. undergraduates while beginning to reveal key differences.

Religious Struggle and Life Satisfaction Among Adult Christians: Self-esteem as a Mediator

“…Furthermore, religious struggle, just like the other forms of religiosity, occurs around the world and across different religious groups. Empirical studies confirm the existence of religious problems and tensions among Christians (Bryant and Astin 2008;Büssing et al 2013Büssing et al , 2016Büssing et al , 2017aBüssing et al , b, 2018Carter 2019;Łowicki and Zajenkowski 2017;Szcześniak et al 2019;Zarzycka 2018;Zarzycka et al 2017), Muslims (Abu-Raiya et al 2008, 2015, 2018Ai et al 2003), Jews (Abu-Raiya et al 2016;Pirutinsky et al 2011;Pirutinsky and Rosmarin 2018;Rosmarin et al 2009Rosmarin et al , 2017, Hindus (Benson et al 2011;Exline et al 2017;Simha et al 2013;Tarakeshwar et al 2003), and atheists or agnostic samples (Bradley et al 2016;Sedlar et al 2018).…”

“…Moreover, awareness of divine forgiveness and self-forgiveness were significant predictors of life satisfaction. With regard to negative emotions toward God and life satisfaction, different studies showed that individuals who are disappointed or angry with God are more likely to experience reduced psychological well-being (Exline et al 2017;Strelan et al 2009). Concerning negative interactions with members of the religious community, Krause et al (2000) found that unpleasant encounters with other fellows within the Church were, for adults participating in the research, a source of anxiety and distress.…”

Indonesian students’ religiousness, comfort, and anger toward God during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Anger toward God can range from disappointment to more extreme feelings, which may be experienced even by devout believers. In particular, studies conducted in the United States, India, Poland, and Indonesia have revealed that many college students feel anger toward God at some point (Aditya et al, 2020; Exline, Hall, et al, 2017; Exline, Kamble, et al, 2017; Zarzycka, 2016). Compared with people at other stages of life, young adults may have a higher level of anger toward God.…”

Dampak Sikap terhadap Tuhan pada Kepuasan Hidup Mahasiswa Kristen di Jabodetabek pada Masa Pandemi

“…Hasil penelitian mengenai kemarahan terhadap Tuhan di berbagai negara menemukan bahwa kemarahan terhadap Tuhan ini mungkin dialami oleh semua pemeluk agama hanya saja dengan tingkat yang berbeda (Hisham Abu-Raiya, Exline, Pargament, & Agbaria, 2015;Exline, Kamble, & Stauner, 2017;Zarzycka, 2016). Pemeluk agama Kristen cenderung mempunyai tingkat kemarahan kepada Tuhan yang relatif lebih tinggi jika dibandingkan dengan pemeluk agama lain karena Tuhan digambarkan secara personal dan manusia bisa mempunyai relasi personal dengan Tuhan.…”