Authoritarian or Authority-Minded? The Cognitive Commitments of Fundamentalists and the Christian Right

Owen, Dennis E.; Wald, Kenneth D.; Hill, Samuel S.

doi:10.2307/1123907

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…More recent work has grappled with whether fundamentalist Christians are true authoritarians or if they are more accurately described as “authority-minded,” which is an “ideological commitment” rather than a “defective psychological trait” (Owen, Wald, and Hill 1991, 75). Authority-mindedness is rooted in adherents' commitment to the proposition that there is such a thing as ultimate authority and that true fulfillment in life can be found only by living under it.…”

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach to understanding authority is closely related to religious certainty (or religious dogmatism). Instead of being focused on the church's organizational structure, authority-mindedness helps adherents “avoid drowning in a sea of relativism, unpredictability, and change” (Owen, Wald, and Hill 1991, 88).…”

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, when asked “Would you like to end up as Top Dog?” fundamentalists were less likely to say yes, reflecting a discomfort with individuals standing apart from the group. However, their own measure was still rooted in the measurement of individual certainty (1991, 87) rather than whether religion demands conformity, rigidity, and order. The importance of understanding and measuring religious authority would come to fore in the next two decades as two important religious movements shaped the landscape of American Christianity.…”

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, Owen, Wald, and Hill describe this well when they write, “The passion for order… seems to have led conservative Evangelical leaders to a radical distrust of the very democratic processes they have become adept at using” (1991, 81). Scholars have noted that religion may serve as an impediment to the cultivation of democratic values, as it has frequently been related to political intolerance and prejudice toward outside groups (Lipset 1981; Gibson 1992; Hunsberger 1996).…”

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Religious Authority in a Democratic Society: Clergy and Citizen Evidence from a New Measure

Burge

Djupe

2021

Politics and Religion

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A persistent concern for democratic theorists is the degree to which religious authority trumps democratic authority. This is often assessed using generic measures of religiosity or religious beliefs ill-suited to the task. Moreover, while religion is linked to dogmatism and authoritarianism, this begs the question how much influence religion has independent of psychological dispositions. We attempt to add to these debates with a new measure of religious authority. We draw on data gathered from three samples—a sample of Christian clergy from 2014, a national sample of 1,000 Americans from Spring 2016, and a national sample of 1,010 Protestants from 2019. We examine the distribution of the religious authority measure and then compare its effects of the measure in the context of authoritarian child-rearing values, deliberative values, and democratic norms. The results indicate religious authority values represent a distinct measurement of how people connect to religion in politically salient ways.

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Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Nature Of Religious Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Religious Authority in a Democratic Society: Clergy and Citizen Evidence from a New Measure

Burge

Djupe

2021

Politics and Religion

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A Question of Authority: Religion and Cultural Conflict in the 2004 Election

Mockabee

2007

Polit Behav

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In this study I adopt a view of cultural conflict that extends beyond the usual set of controversial ''moral'' issues like abortion and gay rights to include symbolic issues related to patriotism and group affect. Using a set of survey items asking about respondents' preferences in child-rearing, I create a measure of individuals' orientations toward authority that proves to be a potent predictor of attitudes on cultural issues, affect toward social groups, party identification, and vote choice. This authority effect persists even in the presence of extensive multivariate controls for demographic and religious variables. I find that both authority measures and religion measures shape political attitudes, suggesting the need for a multi-faceted approach to understanding cultural conflict.

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