Most churchgoers endorse any religious-sounding statement regardless of its orientation

Evidence

Although religion does provide a complete worldview and prescribed behaviors for members, members will not always ascribe every religious belief or prescribed behavior nor will they all be important or central to the self. American Catholics, for example, tend to be more liberal on average regarding birth control, divorce, and other issues than the main Roman Catholic Church. So, while American Catholics benefit from belonging to the world’s Catholic community and evaluate the self based on assimilation to the group and shared qualities, they also benefit from the distinction between themselves and the main church. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 917 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Peter judged polemics by whether they matched patristic genre conventions rather than by effectiveness; Religious intrinsic orientation tracks whatever attitudes one’s religion endorses — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2548; Common people hold beliefs by faith in their group, not by reasoned argument — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1220 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Religious members selectively adopt beliefs, keeping distinction within belonging #complicates (0.85) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 917