The author responds to Zern's (1987) article, “Positive Links Among Obedience Pressure, Religiosity, and Measures of Cognitive Accomplishment.” Four principles stemming from Zern's thesis are seen as fundamentally valid: (a) religion does involve obedience, (b) religion with its promotion of obedience does lead to greater capacity to function, (c) obedience leads to higher self-esteem, and (d) pressure to obey leads to obedience along with its benefits. Some weakness is discussed concerning the explanation of religion's positive effect on personal functioning and the principle of obedience without understanding.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
FranklV. (1963). Man's search for meaning.New York: Washington Square Press.
2.
MoltmannJ. (1985). God in creation.San Francisco: Harper and Row.
3.
ZernD. (1987). Positive links among obedience pressure, religiosity, and measures of cognitive accomplishment: Evidence for the secular value of being religious. Journal of Psychology and Theology15, 31–39.
