clarifying religion’s role in environmentalism

ch.2, ec-p.20 – how the relationship between religion and environmental concern appears when the influence of social-demographic variables is controlled and individual environmental behaviors (recycling) are distinguished from willingness to support environmental policy when compared with measures of religiosity (beliefs, attitudes, behaviors)…

“Others caution against unmerited confirmations of Lynn White’s assertions of the anti-environmentalist tendencies of western Christianity and its believers (REF). The strength of association between Judeo-Christian and religious conservative identity and their opposition to environmental regulations remains “very low” once analysts account for age, education, sex, and geography (Kanagy and Nelsen 1995). Distinguishing policy-related measures of environmental concern from its other expressions brings more clarity to religion’s role in environmentalism. Evangelical Protestants “are no less likely to exhibit [attitudinal expressions of] concern about climate change” than Roman Catholics, but they are more inclined to oppose environmental policy and government regulation addressing it (Swartz 2008).”

 

 

religion environmental concern relationship spurious (table)

ch.2, table 2.c – summary table of research whose major findings do not show a positive or negative association between religion and environmental concern measures…

Table 2C Religion No Effect

 

This is a diagram of the relationship between ice cream and crime, illustrating that the correlation is spurious given they both increase due to increasing temperatures and not because they are in some way related to each other directly. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

dominion belief and environmental concern

ch.2, ec-p.15 – significance of religious-based dominion beliefs for expressions of less or lower concern about environmental quality and support for increased protection of ecosytems among christians generally…

“Early explorations by Hand and Van Liere (1984) of the role of religion relying on the New Ecological Paradigm survey framework contended, as White did, that in the US a “mastery-over-nature” orientation prevails among people more committed to “Judeo-Christian” religions compared to those less committed or non-Christian. Later efforts focused on specific religious and theological beliefs conceptualized as “dominion” beliefs. More strongly held dominion belief significantly corresponds with less environmental concern for religious individuals (Wolkomir, Futreal, Woodrum, and Hoban 1997). Religious conservatives are “more likely to emphasize dominion over nature than other Protestants” (Hayes and Marangudakis 2001). When aggregated, however, denominational differences in dominion belief do not correspond with variations in environmentalism expressed by Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and non-Judeo-Christians (Wolkomir, Woodrum, Futreal, and Hoban 1997).”

 

 

religion murky in environmental concern

ch.2, ec-p.10 – introductory paragraph summarizing overall state of research on religion‘s role in environmental concern…

“The role of religion in environmental concern remains murky despite this increasing attention over the last few decades (Proctor and Berry 2005). The literature gives a contradictory and complex picture. Empirical research offers few conclusive signs on whether religion is good, bad, or otherwise inconsequential with respect to how people express their environmentalism through their beliefs, attitudes, intentions and willingness to support environmental policy, or behaviors with reduced ecological impacts. Three tables below summarize work where major findings show religion having an overall positive or mixed association with environmental concern, a primarily negative one, and when analysts found no evidence for the relationship or saw it as spurious. Most of this research focuses on Judeo-Christian faith traditions or various forms of Protestantism.”

 

 

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