Does Christianity Contribute to Racism?
Further perturbing research from the US investigating the links between religiosity and racial attitudes.
This is a follow up study to this one.
You may remember Wendy Wood, the professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California who, along with her colleagues, looked through 55 studies and found strong evidence that religious people are more racist.
They explained in their paper that this kind of religious racism partly reflects intergroup dynamics. That is, a strong religious in-group identity was associated with derogation of racial out-groups. Other races might be treated as out-groups because religion is practiced largely within race, because training in a religious in-group identity promotes general ethnocentrism, and because different others appear to be in competition for resources (Personality and Psychology Review).
White people tend to practice religion with other white folks, and they tend to believe that their own religious group is morally right. This situation leads to racism.
So we were intrigued to hear that a team of researchers at Baylor University had decided to directly test how exposure to religious concepts might affect racial attitudes. They subliminally primed one group of students with neutral words like “butter” and “hammer” and another group of students with Christian words like “gospel” and “heaven,” each of which flashed on a computer screen for half a second while the students were performing a task. Then the researchers tested the students attitudes toward blacks. (Overall, the participants were mostly white and predominantly Protestant or Catholic.)
The results? Those students who had been primed with the Christian concepts expressed more racial prejudice—an effect that remained even when the scientists controlled for pre-existing levels of religiosity and spirituality. These students scored higher both in terms of “covert” racism—where individuals evaluated whether conclusions were supported by certain arguments rather than whether they agreed with those arguments or conclusions themselves—and “overt” racism—negative attitudes expressed in responses to questions like how afraid they are of African Americans as a group or whether or not they like them (Associated Baptist Press). However, the religious words did not change the underlying emotions of fear and disgust.
So how can we explain the “”Christian-racial-prejudice hypothesis”? One possibility, the researchers say, is that the religious words activate Protestant Puritanism concepts, of which the Protestant work ethic is a part, and the “Protestant ethic, in turn, has been shown to activate anti-black attitudes.” Another possibility is that the Christian concepts increase things like right-wing authoritarianism and religious fundamentalism (both of which are correlated with prejudice) or political conservatism (linked to the justification of inequality).
Indeed, the speculations fit with the conclusions of past studies like Wood’s, as the researchers write in their paper:
Religion’s possible activation of other dimensions or core values (e.g., RWA, fundamentalism, political conservatism, or PWE) could lead to both hard work and in-group prosociality but also denigration of out-group members who are perceived as violating that particular core value. Denigration may occur because religion is often practiced as an in-group phenomenon, causing individuals to view racial minorities as out-group members who do not share their core values (Social Psychological and Personality Science).
April 9th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Actually I’m surprised that anyone would be surprised by this finding. Religion surely tends to foster conservative behaviour, and promote homogeneity. People are naturally drawn to people like themselves, and avoid people who are not. Strict adherence to a religious sect just amplifies this tendency.
Some people within religious groupings may become aware of this and make a particular effort not to let that happen, but I suspect most people can’t or won’t.
This is one of the reasons why I think it is important to continue to support the separation of church and state. Reading your other recent posts reinforces my view.
April 9th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I’m certainly leaning that way Jim.
I found this essay to be refreshingly sophisticated and balanced this morning which may be of interest to you:
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6557
April 9th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Thanks! Yes, it’s a really interesting read. Think I’m going to have to read again – this time more slowly… Rather a lot of information crammed in there!
April 9th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
@Jim
“conservative behaviour”
Makes being conservative sound like a criminal offence, breach of the peace aggravated by conservative behaviour.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Thought this site was beyond neoliberal pseudo-science this is self-hating nonsense – anything that moves and is white is now classed as racist dont you know?
April 9th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
I’m sorry Goy that you read it that way. It was meant to be a neutral statement of my view. I’m always happy to hear contrary views.
Do you disagree with my point of view, or with the perhaps clumsy way I expressed it?
April 10th, 2010 at 12:17 am
@Jim,
It seems to be that if a white person has a preference in association and that association happens to be with another white person then that alone attracts the charge of racism this is absurd, extreme and dangerous nonsense. Next they will be arguing that the association of a white couple is a brand of racism.
April 10th, 2010 at 7:37 am
@Goy. Do you disagree that Churches tend towards homogeneity? It’s not just white caucasians that stick together. And it depends what you mean by racist. One could describe my mother as racist, in that she would have strongly disapproved if I had brought home a girlfriend of another colour – (even another nationality, even though she might be indistinguishable physically from local girls). Racism is surely more than the extreme manifestations that hit the headlines.
April 10th, 2010 at 7:37 am
I agree with Goy on this one. Just read the abstract. Complete neoliberal psuedo-science!
It gives science and religion a bad name.
April 10th, 2010 at 7:44 am
” a strong religious in-group identity was associated with derogation of racial out-groups”.
This post sounds like someone reporting on sociology 101
students mid term paper, with a simplistic “scientific poll” that we should accept as affirming their anti-christian hypothesis. Please…
April 10th, 2010 at 8:39 am
This post sounds like someone reporting on sociology 101
@bb. LOL. Spot on!!
April 10th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Goy said:
Thought this site was beyond neoliberal pseudo-science this is self-hating nonsense
On reflection I think you have hit on something there Goy.
I have been swinging too far in to extremes, in trying to avoid extremes….ironically.
I think that was a timely comment Goy and I needed to hear it.
Thanks
April 10th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
@Jim
The point is that (anti) racism is being driven by a political agenda of monoculturalism.
A devious psychologists could argue that the out group choice of partner in itself is racism, a puerile act of rebelion against the in group reducing the out group partner to a mere cultural trophy.
There is no precise or strict definition of racism, racism is in the eye of the beholder so to speak to base a charge or hypothesis on such a broad brush notion is unsafe and unsound.
April 10th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Well said Goy. It is not as black and white as it seems.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Hmm. I suppose that we all tend to find truth in things which support our view of the World, and distrust those which do not. As an outsider, but one who was brought up in a conscientious Christian environment, I find it easy to agree with the findings. Maybe I’d feel different if still participated and looked at them in the context of my own Church. It’s worth also noting that this is a US study. Having witnessed the Church in the US myself, I would say that this is very much the case there, whilst in Europe it is less so.
April 11th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
This is an American study. If it were a British study I’d be much more concerned. As it is, I don’t think the findings are too much of a surprise. Religion plays a very different role here, but in the US the voice of the Church is far too often the voice of Fox News and the NRA.
Sadly, America’s religious right is indeed racist, and many of the black churches are too. The Tea Party is packed with Christians for whom guns, dollars and the flag have taken the place of humility, tolerance and charity.
April 12th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
@Sophie, Surrey
U.K. churches and christianity have been subverted by discordianism, neoliberalism and islam no need for a study your comment is proof.