Dogmatic orientations toward worldly and otherworldly authority.

Abstract

This study focuses on dogmatic orientations toward worldly and otherworldly authority. Using data from the Baylor Religion Survey, I attempt to identify which social conditions are especially salient in determining authoritarian beliefs and Biblical literalism. In two identical sets of models, I predict the dependent variables using measures of childhood socialization, adult socialization, and images of God. Results show that education, strict upbringing, and Catholic affiliation are among the variables most strongly associated with authoritarian beliefs. Income, concentration of friends at church, and evangelical affiliation are among the variables most strongly associated with Biblical literalism. Of the measures used in this study, images of God as judgmental and engaged stand out for their strong correlations with both dependent variables.