This study provides independent empirical evidence that bears upon the truth or falsity of recently formulated hypotheses regarding reciprocal relationships between levels of religiosity and societal dysfunction.
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Description
Abstract: This study provides independent empirical evidence that bears upon the truth or
falsity of recently formulated hypotheses regarding reciprocal relationships between levels
of religiosity and societal dysfunction. Gregory S. Paul's findings, published in the Journal
of Religion and Society (2005), Free Inquiry (2008), and Evolutionary Psychology (2009),
have demonstrated that high degrees of theism are associated with high degrees of societal
dysfunction among the prosperous democracies.
Paul's research findings have Justified his formulation of several hypotneses
regarding the relationships between religiosity and societal dysfunction, in light of the
increases in modernization and secularization that have been experienced by the prosperous
democracies. For details, the reader is referred to his "Cross-National Correlations of
Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous
Democracies" (2005); "The Big Religion Questions Finally Solved" (2008); and "The
Chronic Dependence of Popular Religiosity upon Dysfunctional Psychosociological
Conditions" (2009).
I. High levels of theism contribute to high levels of societal dysfunction.
II. High levels of societal dysfunction contribute to the persistence of
theistic beliefs and practices.
If true, both hypotheses help explain "American Exceptionalism," i.e., extreme levels of
both theism and societal dysfunction when compared with the other prosperous
democracies. Also, the first would lead to the prediction that decreases in religiosity in the
U.S. will affect increases in societal health, while the second suggests that reductions in
levels of societal dysfunction will lead to decreased religiosity.
It is anticipated that the findings of the current empirical inquiry will provide
additional independent evidence related to the truth or falsity of Paul's hypotheses, but
before describing the purposes, methods, and procedures of the current research, it is
important to make mention of a number of criticisms by social and behavioral scientists of
the reliability and validity of Paul's findings based upon the methodology employed in his
research, especially his 2005 Journal of Religion and Society article.
