Religious devotion as predictor of behavior

(University of Missouri-Columbia) 'Religious Devotion and Extrinsic Religiosity Affect In-group Altruism and Out-group Hostility Oppositely in Rural Jamaica,' suggests that a sincere belief in God -- religious devotion -- is unrelated to feelings of prejudice. Rather, Lynch's research finds that those whose religious beliefs are extrinsic -- who use religion as a way to achieve non-religious goals such as attaining status or joining a social group -- and who regularly attend religious services are more likely to hold hostile attitudes toward outsiders.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news