“Take Heed with what Measure ye Mete” Do Current Outcomes of Religious Scholarship Reflect the Actual Impact of Religion?

Authors

Justin Christensen, Brigham Young University
Dr. Sam Hardy, Brigham Young University

Keywords

religious scholarship, impact of religion, pro-social actions, risk-taking behaviors

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Scholarly research on religion reports many outcomes of religious involvement such as better physical and mental health, fewer risk-taking behaviors, and greater involvement in moral or pro-social actions (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009; Cotton, McGrady, & Rosenthal, 2010). These outcomes represent a small fraction of the total possible outcomes of religious involvement, and while they do exist, little evidence has been given to show that religious adherents identify these outcomes as being the most salient outcomes for them. Therefore, our purpose in conducting this study was two-fold: 1) Allow religious adherents to report on the outcomes that they have noticed from their religious involvement, 2) Discover which outcomes are the most salient in the lives of religious persons. By doing this research, we will more fully understand religious influence from the perspective of the people who are actually involved in religion as opposed to the current understanding which is based on the theories of the researchers.

Recommended Citation

Christensen, Justin and Hardy, Dr. Sam (2014) "“Take Heed with what Measure ye Mete” Do Current Outcomes of Religious Scholarship Reflect the Actual Impact of Religion?," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 309.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/309