One prominent theory is that prosociality is promoted by the belief in an authoritarian God.
Building upon this theory, we developed a theoretical model in which beliefs about the self�…

Individual theological beliefs provide important motivations for religious people to volunteer
in their communities. Compassion and loving one's neighbor are both ideas that can�…

The present study sheds light on the contentious relation between religions and prosociality
by comparing self-reported altruistic and prosocial behavior among a group of Catholic and�…

Religion's relationship to volunteering has been widely studied, with the majority of research
indicating that religious service attendance matters more in motivating volunteering behavior�…

Volunteers in faith-based organizations play a large and growing role in the delivery of
social services in the United States. Previous research has shown that religious individuals�…

Religion is a powerful influence on social attitudes and behavior. Paradoxically, religion is
correlated with both aggressive and prosocial tendencies. We argue that different concepts�…

Research suggests that volunteerism is associated with religious involvement, but it is
unclear which aspects of religion influence adherents to volunteer their time and services. In�…

Two studies assessed the relationship between religiousness and various measures of self-
reported helping behavior, as well as actual volunteering for charitable causes. Results�…

Using self-determination theory as a guiding framework, this study examined whether
perceptions of God as autonomy supportive and controlling were related to individuals'�…

Batson et al.(1989) recently reported two studies examining the association between the
motivation to help and different ways of being religious. Their results indicated that intrinsic�…