Religion and prejudice: The role of religious fundamentalism, quest, and right-wing authoritarianism

Does religion contribute to, or inhibit, prejudice? Although major world religions espouse tolerance and love toward others, empirical evidence provides little support for the effectiveness of such religious teachings, and a considerable body of research suggests that, at a general (and simplistic) level, religion and prejudice are positively correlated. Suggestions that this relationship is actually curvilinear and possibly a result of differences in intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation are questioned. Recent investigations suggest that conceptualizations of religious fundamentalism and quest offer better ways of distinguishing between more and less prejudiced individuals. Further, the fundamentalism and quest relationships with prejudice are especially meaningful in light of an association with right-wing authoritarianism. Limitations and implications of the related research are discussed. In the end, it would seem that it is not religion per se, but rather the ways in which individuals hold their religious beliefs, which are associated with prejudice.