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Death anxiety and religion
1Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations, Cheetah Rd, Coventry CV1 2TL, United Kingdom; St Benet's Hall, 38 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LN, United Kingdom.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|September 17, 2020
Summary
This review finds weak evidence that death anxiety motivates religious belief. While theories suggest religion offers immortality, the link between fear of death and religiosity is subtle and inconsistent.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology of Religion
Background:
- The fear of death is often theorized to drive religious belief.
- Terror Management Theory posits that religious beliefs offer immortality, mitigating death anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing research on the relationship between death anxiety and religiosity.
- To evaluate the empirical support for death anxiety as a motivator for religious belief.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies examining death anxiety and religiosity.
- Analysis of correlational and causal evidence.
Main Results:
- Empirical evidence for a significant relationship between death anxiety and religiosity is weak.
- Demonstrating death anxiety in non-life-threatening situations is challenging.
- The influence of death anxiety on religiosity appears subtle, weak, and sporadic.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesis that death anxiety strongly motivates religious belief is not well-supported by current evidence.
- Further research is needed to understand the nuanced interplay between existential concerns and religious engagement.
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