tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482394031034380551.post6858347672495363996..comments2023-06-21T05:10:07.994-07:00Comments on Social Psychology at Pratt: Study Links Religious Groups and Racial BiasPratt Psychologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00628779524005457672noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482394031034380551.post-28601805420596876032010-09-19T15:20:09.748-07:002010-09-19T15:20:09.748-07:00The fact that people who identify with morally-inc...The fact that people who identify with morally-inclined religions are more likely to be racist seems confusing at first. One would like to think that people who hold themselves to high moral standards would not harbor prejudice towards others, regardless of factors such as race. And yet Wood found that the more "devout" the religion, the more racist it is. <br /> But due to ingroup identity coupled with the emphasis on morality, members of religious groups have more of a tendency to judge people based on their morality or lack of it. The fact that a religion encourages its followers to distinguish people by certain standards makes it only natural for other standards such as race to be important. <br /> Having a standard of morality causes these religious groups, as well as the individuals that they consist of, to uphold the view that they are better than another individual, particularly people with outstanding physical or societal differences. It is good to see that because racism has become less socially acceptable people's view on race has changed, but it is notable that many moderate Christians "pay lip service" to how they reject racism but really have the same views on race as fundamentalists.NoraGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17646499089145819730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7482394031034380551.post-61896332260751769492010-09-19T09:29:09.509-07:002010-09-19T09:29:09.509-07:00In relation to this week's text readings, it i...In relation to this week's text readings, it is easy to see that the correlation between religion and racism as described in this article uses the methods of self-enhancement and self-verification. No one can really say exactly what an extremist's motivating factors are in this mentality; however, continual references to achieving "morality" paints a holier-than-thou, self-enhancing attitude, masked as an attempt to better the good of humanity. Is this their (extremely) public way to receive verification for these "good deeds"? But wouldn't it be "more moral" to respect people regardless of race?<br /><br />As it states in the article,"religion has clear benefits for the individual". Religion creates strong communities, is a great way to meet like-minded people, can enhance the relationship with oneself, and provide guidance in times of need. But, "religion has a downside, like any group membership, particularly a group membership that is associated with morality.” When religion is taken to literally, I feel as if it leads to such blatant and public examples of self-verification and self-enhancement, oftentimes at a cultural group's expense.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11316295829878851840noreply@blogger.com