Religion as an Investment: Comparing the Contributions and Volunteer Frequency among Christians, Buddhists, and Folk Religionists

Abstract

The magnitude of the reward of an afterlife promised in the case of Christians is significantly greater than that in relation to both Buddhism and Taiwanese folk religions. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these differences in the promised rewards of an afterlife across religions and the extent of the belief in the existence of an afterlife within the same religion are positively correlated with religionists' contributions to their religion and the frequency of their voluntary activities. This positive correlation is verified across different religions and within Christianity in regard to the religionists' contributions.

Volunteering and the Dimensions of Religiosity: A Cross-National Analysis

“…Prayer may give an opportunity for ''perspective'' taking, which encourages compassion and caring for others (Batson et al 2003;Loveland et al 2005). And belief may promote a theological perspective of volunteering as ''investment'' in the afterlife (Tao and Yeh 2007) or as an internalized identity or state of being that motivates volunteering (Einolf 2011;Perry et al 2008). We further address the question of whether these effects of public and private religiosity vary by denomination with a comparison of the unaffiliated, Catholics, and Protestants.…”

“…However, inconsistency in the measures of belief makes it difficult to compare findings across studies. One recent study has supported an investment perspective on belief, noting that the effect of belief on volunteering is related to the strength of individual belief, and the scope of the promised rewards (Tao and Yeh 2007), and Monsma (2007) also observed a positive association between belief in the afterlife and volunteering. An alternative perspective is that a strongly religious worldview leads to more ''otherworldly'' concerns and accordingly may lead to less volunteering (Van Tienen et al 2011).…”

“…Higher socioeconomic status, often measured by higher income, occupational prestige and educational level, provides leisure time, social capital and awareness of volunteer opportunities (Sundeen et al 2007; Wilson and Musick 1998). In the United States, women volunteer more than men, and are more likely to view volunteering as a substitute for a career, though this may change at certain points in the life course and certainly differs by socio-economic status (Taniguchi 2006; Rotolo and Wilson 2007). However, gender differences in volunteering vary by country (Gaskin and Smith 1995; Wilson 2000), and recent cross-national investigations of volunteering in European countries find that women volunteer less frequently and for fewer types of voluntary associations than men (Plagnol and Huppert 2010; Voicu and Voicu 2009).…”

Religion, spirituality, and altruism.

“…Self-enhancement covers psychological processes having to do with (a) self-esteem and positive self-image, (b) positive reputation and social approval, and (c) symbolic rewards. Each of these dimensions is related to general religiosity and seems to contribute to a prosociality limited by concerns for positive self-image (Batson et al, 1993), social reputation (Norenzayan & Shariff, 2008), or afterlife-related rewards (Tao & Yeh, 2007).…”

Gifts of Money and Gifts of Time: Folk Religion and Civic Involvement in a Chinese Society

“…1 Volunteering refers to “any activity in which time is given freely to benefit another person, group, or organization” (Wilson 2000: 215), while giving represents civic activities in the form of monetary contributions. In the extant literature, both volunteering and giving have been found to be positively associated with an individual's religiosity (Becker and Dhingra 2001; Boraas 2003; Campbell and Yonish 2003; Hodgkinson 2003; Merino 2013; Putnam 2001; Putnam and Campbell 2010; Ruiter and De Graaf 2006; Tao and Yeh 2007; Uslaner 2002; Wilson and Musick 1997; Wuthnow 1991, 2004). For instance, church attendance in the United States has been shown to be a significant predictor for giving of time or cash donations to civic projects to aid in child abuse, battered women, and teenage pregnancy, among others (Hodgkinson et al 1990).…”