Catholic Christians reject Protestants’ criticism and retaliate in their prayers

J. Lukas Thürmer ()
Additional contact information
J. Lukas Thürmer: Paris-Lodron University Salzburg

Palgrave Communications, 2024, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Christianity pledges the peaceful acceptance of attacks but elicited numerous intergroup conflicts. This contradiction may arise from basic group-processes, including the rejection of intergroup criticism. Catholic Christians (Experiment 1, N = 322, online; Experiment 2, N = 252 in-person survey during Church activities) responded to criticism of their faith that was either attributed to a fellow Catholic or a Protestant commenter. Criticism from a Protestant (vs. Catholic) source was rated to be less constructive, more threatening, and ascribed worse commenter characteristics. Outgroup criticism did not change support for the unity of Christians (ecumenism, Experiment 1) but increased the likelihood of praying for the commenter (Experiment 2). The content of outgroup-directed prayers was hostile. Effects emerged independent of reported fundamentalism and in a context highly conducive to inter-denomination debate. These findings demonstrate that religious group processes can evoke counter-normative defenses, thus spurring conflict. Understanding these processes may help mend divided societies.

Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-03828-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03828-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03828-2

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().