The “making and unmaking” of prejudice against Australian Muslims and Gay Men and Lesbians: The role of religious development and fundamentalism

W. James; B. Griffiths; A. Pedersen

doi:10.1080/10508619.2011.581579

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The “making and unmaking” of prejudice against Australian Muslims and Gay Men and Lesbians: The role of religious development and fundamentalism

Journal article

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The “making and unmaking” of prejudice against Australian Muslims and Gay Men and Lesbians: The role of religious development and fundamentalism

W. James, B. Griffiths and A. Pedersen

International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, Vol.21(3), pp.212-227

2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2011.581579

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Abstract

Despite the growing international interest in the relation between religion and prejudice, there has been a dearth of studies conducted within Australia. We used the Faith Development Scale (FDS) to examine the relation between religious maturity and attitudes toward Muslims and toward gay men and lesbians in an Australian context using a sample of churchgoers from the Perth metropolitan area (N = 139). Respondentswho scored lower on the FDS were more prejudiced toward both target groups than were high scorers. Furthermore, participants who scored lower on the FDS were more prejudiced against gay men and lesbians than they were against Muslim Australians. The FDS was a better predictor of attitudes toward the two groups than was the Quest Scale. Contrary to overseas studies, we found that religious fundamentalists held more prejudiced attitudes toward gay men and lesbians than toward those of a different religion (Australian Muslims). Right-wing political orientation was also found to be predictive of prejudice against Australian Muslims and against gay men and lesbians independently of religious development. Results suggest that religious maturity, as well as fundamentalism and right-wing political views, plays an important role in the "making" or "unmaking" of prejudice against Australian Muslims and against gay men and lesbians. Evidence is presented that suggests that the Quest Scale and the FDS are measuring different aspects of religious development.

Details

Title: The “making and unmaking” of prejudice against Australian Muslims and Gay Men and Lesbians: The role of religious development and fundamentalism
Authors/Creators: W. James (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
B. Griffiths (Author/Creator) - Curtin University
A. Pedersen (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
Publication Details: International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, Vol.21(3), pp.212-227
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Identifiers: 991005542588907891
Copyright: © Taylor & Francis
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Psychology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 6 Social Sciences; 6.256 Religion; 6.256.525 Religion's Impact
Web Of Science research areas: Psychology, Multidisciplinary; Religion
ESI research areas: Psychiatry/Psychology