Most measures ofreligiosity, such as church attendance and affiliation, are positively correlated with theauthoritarian personality cluster, which includes submission to authority,conventionality, and intolerance ofout-groups.[2][3][4] The correlation is especially strong betweenreligious fundamentalism (defined as belief in an "inerrant set of religious teachings") and authoritarianism, both of which are characterized by lowopenness to experience, highrigidity, and lowcognitive complexity.[2] In particular, authoritarianism "is positively associated with a religion that is conventional, unquestioned, and unreflective".[2][3]
United States president Donald Trump'sphoto op at St. John's Church has been described as following the "playbook of authoritarian-leaning leaders the world over".[5]
Hundreds of scientific articles have been published investigating the connections between religion andauthoritarianism. There is a distinction betweenpsychology, which treats authoritarianism as innate to the personality, andsociology, which considers authoritarianism a result of one's environment and posits that it may be influenced by factors such as religion.[6]
A longitudinal study of Americans born in the 1920s found that this effect held for traditional church-centered religion but not for those that are seekingnon-institutional spirituality. The latter mode of religion is "characterized by an openness to new experiences and by creativity and experimentation, characteristics that are antithetical to the conventionality that adheres in authoritarianism".[2][4]
Throughout history, authoritarian leaders have adopted different policies towards religion, fromstate atheism to drawing support from religion or co-opting religious leaders and institutions.[7] As part ofcivil society, organized religion serves as a mediator between the state and citizens, even under authoritarian governments.[8] In Russia, theRussian Orthodox Church enjoys a state monopoly and state subsidies, as well as ablasphemy law that protects it from criticism.[9] Authoritarian leaders may fear that religion will be the source of political opposition, instability, or outright rebellion.[10] Indeed, some scholars and political leaders, such asVáclav Havel, have praised the role of religion in undermining authoritarian governments.[8] However, in other cases, religions have engaged in alliances with the state, and religious institutions are not necessarily pockets of dissent or incubators of democracy.[11] Unregistered or minority religions have been suppressed by state authoritarian regimes, such ashouse churches in China.[12] In 1999,Falun Gong practitioners launched widespread protests against the Chinese government, which led to thepersecution of Falun Gong.[13]
Kuru, Ahmet T. (2019).Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison. Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-1-108-41909-3.
Paloutzian, Raymond F., ed. (2014) [1999].Religious Orientation and Authoritarianism in Cross-cultural Perspective: A Special Issue of the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. Psychology Press.ISBN978-1-135-06529-4.
Ritter, Kathleen; O'Neill, Craig (2014).Righteous Religion: Unmasking the Illusions of Fundamentalism and Authoritarian Catholicism. Routledge.ISBN978-1-317-78626-9.
Rowatt, Wade C.; Shen, Megan Johnson; LaBouff, Jordan P.; Gonzalez, Alfredo (19 December 2014). "Religious fundamentalism, right-wing authoritarianism, and prejudice: insights from meta-analyses, implicit social cognition, and social neuroscience". In Paloutzian, Raymond F.; Park, Crystal L. (eds.).Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Second Edition. Guilford Publications.ISBN978-1-4625-2053-4.
Shaffer, Barbara A.; Hastings, Brad M. (2007). "Authoritarianism and religious identification: Response to threats on religious beliefs".Mental Health, Religion & Culture.10 (2):151–158.doi:10.1080/13694670500469949.S2CID145365224.
Van Pachterbeke, Matthieu; Freyer, Christopher; Saroglou, Vassilis (2011). "When authoritarianism meets religion: Sacrificing others in the name of abstract deontology: Authoritarianism, religious priming, and morality".European Journal of Social Psychology.41 (7):898–903.doi:10.1002/ejsp.834.
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