Abstract

In Christianity, there are two major perspectives of how one attains eternal life: by faith in Jesus Christ alone, or by necessary additional works/ordinances, such as baptism, or obedience to commandments. Though beliefs about salvation may reasonably be thought to have an influence on mental health and behavior, research on the subject has been slow to accumulate. This project examined the association between beliefs about salvation and mental health, as well as whether this association is mediated by other variables, including Religious Involvement, Scrupulosity, and Perfectionism. A sample of 1,556 Protestants/Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints (who generally hold distinct views about salvation) completed a survey assessing beliefs about salvation and other religious and mental health variables (including Well-Being, Anxiety, and Depression). A scale assessing beliefs about salvation was generated for use with this sample and evaluated by exploratory factor analysis. A correlation matrix indicated beliefs about salvation did not have significant relationships with most variables, with the exception of religious Legalism (negative correlation with Faith, positive correlation with Works). This broadly contradicts theoretical data suggesting potential deficits due to beliefs about salvation by faith alone (e.g., lack of religious involvement) or by additional works (e.g., higher perfectionism). A mediation model was also tested, showing significant path strength between Faith/Works and Legalism; other significant paths were observed between the mediating variables and mental health variables (especially Spiritual Transcendence and Well-Being). Implications for future research on the cognitive dimension of religion are discussed.

Degree

PhD

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/