2023/05/08 by R. Khari Brown, Ronald E. Brown, Randall Wyatt
Social Sciences · #Religion and Society Interactions #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology #Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jssr.12844
Abstract We use the 2020/2021 National Politics Study to examine two central questions: 1. How do religious beliefs and clergy sermons about race associate with support for Black Lives Matter (BLM) and racial justice work? And 2. Is the relationship between religion and BLM‐related attitudes and activism similar or different across race groups? We found the following: In the months following the summer of 2020 protests in response to George Floyd's murder, African, Hispanic, and White American worship goers who heard sermons about race and policing were more likely than were their co‐ethnics to approve of BLM and to engage in racial justice work. Identifying with the religious left and believing that social justice is a core part of one's religaious beliefs is also associated with these groups approving of BLM and engaging in racial justice work. That said, race matters. These forms of religion tend to maintain stronger relationships with White BLM‐related attitudes and activism than they do for African Americans and Hispanics.