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Spirituality, Hope, Compassion, and Forgiveness: Contributions of Pentecostal Spirituality to Godly Love

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Love of God and one’s neighbor is a virtue that is at the center of Christianity (Luke 10:27). Recent theorists have explored the potential link between love of God and benevolence toward people in a model identified as godly love (e.g., Exline, 2012; Poloma, 2012). Using available measures of spirituality and one constructed measure of spiritual empowerment, we found support for the godly love model in a Pentecostal sample. Based on the results of hierarchical regression, love of God, viewed as attachment to God, religiosity and hope, significantly explained benevolence, or neighborly love, when operationally defined by measures of compassion and forgiveness. In addition, a spiritual empowerment index of Pentecostal experience significantly contributed to explaining benevolence beyond that accounted for by other variables.
... Therefore, self-compassion-focused therapy based on religious perspectives may be considered a successful psychological intervention for Muslim women to deal with infertility problems. However, so far a few studies have attempted to combine compassionate therapy with religious viewpoints most of which have been descriptive as well (Alharbi & Al Hadid, 2019;Engineer, 2001;Ghorbani et al., 2012;Homan, 2014;Sutton et al., 2014). No study was found to evaluate the effectiveness of selfcompassion intervention based on religious perspective in infertile women; there was only one study in which the participants were cancer patients. ...
... Recent theorists have explored the potential link between religiosity and love of God with compassionate behavior and argue that love of God can lead to benevolent behaviors toward God's creatures, including ourselves, other humans, and beings (Exline, 2021;Poloma & Green, 2010;Saroglou, 2013). Empirical evidence further lends support to this hypothesis (Homan, 2014;Sutton et al., 2014). It is assumed that people who have a secure attachment to God experience more self-compassion because the mental model of attachment relationship theoretically determines individuals' sense of being loved and worthy of care (Bowlby, 1980;Homan, 2014). ...
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Anxiety is one of the common psychological problems among infertile women, which affects their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of self-compassion intervention based on a religious and non-religious perspective regarding the anxiety and quality of life of infertile women. A randomized clinical trial design with experimental and control groups was used. A total of 78 infertile women who lived in Yazd province, Iran, were referred to Yazd reproductive sciences institute, were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and one control groups. The participants of the first experimental group received eight sessions of self-compassion-focused intervention based on religious instructions. The second experimental group received eight sessions of non-religious self-compassion intervention, while the control group was put on the waiting list. Data were collected using Quality of Life in Infertile Couples Questionnaire (QOLICQ) and Beck anxiety inventory (BDI) in the pretest, posttest and 2-month follow-up phases and then analyzed using repeated measures as well as one-way analysis of variance. The results showed as compared to control group at the posttest and follow-up phases, the quality of life (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001) of infertile women increased and decreased, respectively, across both experimental groups. Comparison of experimental groups showed that although the difference between the two groups in the subscales of social relationships and sexual satisfaction was not significant, the gain scores of quality of life and anxiety were significantly greater in the first experimental group. These findings indicate that given the religious background of infertile women, religious self-compassion intervention can be relatively more effective in improving the quality of life and anxiety of infertile women than non-religious intervention.
... Other work has shown that people with an anxious and avoidant attachment to God, characterised by feelings of God as distant or inconsistently available, have been found to report decreased forgiveness for wrongdoings committed by others (Davis et al., 2013). A perceived secure attachment to God, where God is seen as loving and consistently available, has been associated with more psychological benefits to forgiving others (Kent et al., 2018; see also Sandage & Jankowski, 2010;Sutton et al., 2014). Greater closeness to God may give people greater strength to be merciful to others and to one's self in an attempt to imitate God, fulfil the commandments of love, and overcome the difficulties of life. ...
... 226), acceptance, empathy, and warmth. In support of the research cited earlier by Pope and Kline (1999), who identified acceptance, empathy, and warmth as influencing fully one-third of counseling outcomes, research conducted by Sutton, Jordan, and Worthington (2014) found that among a student population (n=265) of a small midwestern university affiliated with a Pentecostal denomination, that "Pentecostal-Charismatic spirituality . . . made a significant and unique contribution to understanding the compassionate dimension of benevolence beyond that explained by other variables" (p. ...
... 226), acceptance, empathy, and warmth. In support of the research cited earlier by Pope and Kline (1999), who identified acceptance, empathy, and warmth as influencing fully one-third of counseling outcomes, research conducted by Sutton, Jordan, and Worthington (2014) found that among a student population (n=265) of a small midwestern university affiliated with a Pentecostal denomination, that "Pentecostal-Charismatic spirituality . . . made a significant and unique contribution to understanding the compassionate dimension of benevolence beyond that explained by other variables" (p. ...
... Since Godly love does not remain within the person but flows out to others, as "the heart of Pentecostal spirituality" this love "contributes to the compassionate drive of Pentecostals toward the world" (Land, 1993, p. 176). Interesting in this regard is research conducted by Sutton et al. (2014) who found, among a student population (n=265) of a small midwestern university affiliated with a pentecostal denomination, that "Pentecostal-Charismatic spirituality…made a significant and unique contribution to understanding the compassionate dimension of benevolence beyond that explained by other variables" (p. 120). ...
... Ways people treat others. Sutton et al. (2014) studied Pentecostal and charismatic Christians. Love of God predicted neighborly love. ...
... McMinn et al. (2008 reported that awareness of God as caring and present facilitates forgiveness among Christian adults. Sutton et al. (2014) found that a love of God defined as attachment to God was a significant predictor of trait forgiveness. Israeli religious youth who reported observing the Jewish commandments and taking part in social activities were more likely to grant forgiveness than secular youth who did not practice religious commandments or young people who did not strictly adhere to religious commandments (Laufer et al. 2009). ...
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It is well documented that religion and its different aspects positively affect people’s ability to forgive. However, studies have rarely moved beyond direct associations to explore potential mediators of this relationship. In this context, our main aim was to examine the direct relationship between God’s engagement/disengagement in response to prayer and forgiveness with the possible influence of a positive orientation. Data were gathered from 464 participants aged 18 to 75 (M = 31.10; SD = 11.32). This study included 255 women (55%) and 209 men. We used the Brief Measure of Perceived Divine Engagement and Disengagement in Response to Prayer, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, and the Positivity Scale. In line with our hypotheses, interpersonal forgiveness correlated positively with God’s perceived engagement (H1); it was negatively associated with God’s disengagement (H2); and it was positively linked to positive orientation (H3). Moreover, positive orientation mediated the relationship between religiosity and interpersonal forgiveness. This may suggest that positivity is not indifferent in the process of forgiving, especially when people are aware of God’s involvement in their lives.
... with the divine such as attachment to God (e.g., Beck & McDonald, 2004) and intrinsic religiosity (e. g., Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989). Recent research on forgiveness, hope, compassion (e.g., Sutton, Jordan, & Worthington, 2014), and humility (e. g., Davis et al., 2011) would seem relevant to future investigations of moral foundations theory. We also suggest expanding measures of spiritual practices to include more liberal expressions of faith, such as ministering to the poor, in addition to the traditional items such as reading the Bible. ...
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Consistent with social identity theory, political identity was strongly linked to morality represented by the Moral Foundation Theory model (e.g., Graham, Haidt, & Nosek, 2009). Participants identifying as Democrats scored significantly higher than did those identifying as Republicans on the individualizing foundations of care and fairness but significantly lower than Republicans on the binding foundations of authority, loyalty, and purity. In addition, political identity differentially related to the two liberty subfoundations consistent with salient political party themes. Hierarchical regression analyses identified political identity as a consistent predictor of all moral foundations beyond the variance accounted for by unique contributions of gender and education. RS factors, primarily fundamentalism, contributed additional incremental value to predicting the three binding but not the individualizing foundations, which suggest a congruent dual identity (Political, Religious) for Republicans that does not hold for Democrats. Key words: Moral foundations Theory; Social Identity Theory, Moral Foundations Questionnaire; religious fundamentalism; religion and spirituality
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Celem projektu było zbadanie potencjalnych związków, występujących między troską duchową, samowspółczuciem, współczuciem wobec innych i przebaczeniem dyspozycyjnym u osób duchownych. Zweryfikowano mediacyjną rolę samowspółczucia i współczucia innym w relacji między troską duchową a dyspozycją do przebaczenia. W badaniu wzięły udział 183 osoby duchowne. Wykorzystano następujące narzędzia: Kwestionariusz Troski Duchowej, Skala Współczucia dla Samego Siebie, Skala Współczucia dla Innych oraz Skala Przebaczenia. Analizy korelacyjne wykazały pozytywne, istotne statystycznie, związki między troską duchową i przebaczeniem dyspozycyjnym, jak również między współczuciem sobie i innym a przebaczeniem i troską duchową. Ponadto, dzięki analizom mediacyjnym, stwierdzono, iż zarówno samowspółczucie, jak i współczucie innym pełniły funkcję mediacyjną w relacji troski duchowej i przebaczenia dyspozycyjnego u osób duchownych.
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Tribalism is frequently cited as a feature of today's Western societies, having negative connotations of divisiveness, hatred of the 'other' and a favouring of people who are 'like us'. And yet the idea of belonging to a tribe, of finding identity within a tribe, is also seen as a positive and even a necessary feature of modern life. Churches often seek to define their own identity, their values and ethos, and so cultivate a sense of belonging amongst their members, promoting these things as biblically based and necessary. In the light of tribalistic attitudes, questions must arise as to whether these ideas are biblically justifiable and desirable, and if there is a relationship between a sense of belonging to 'us' and a tribalistic antagonism towards 'them'. The study commences by reviewing the literature to define the scope of interest, and to describe the underlying causes of tribalism. Tribalism is seen as a largely subconscious problem which arises due to various psychological and social pressures. Belonging, identity, fear and epistemological concerns are discussed, and the concept of the neo-tribe is used as a helpful way of describing features of today's tribes. Having formed an understanding of tribalism and summarised the key features then we review the Christian church and select examples of how the church has been impacted by tribalism. The final part of the work provides a focussed biblical overview, to relate scriptural wisdom to the underlying psychological and social issues, and the study concludes by developing a set of three biblical sermons that specifically address the issues that face a Christian, to help them see and deal with the problems that may motivate a tribalistic attitude.
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Forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration is a multidisciplinary look at these Christian virtues from the perspective of people who identify as people of the Spirit. Forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration have been studied in secular and religious contexts by religious scholars and behavioral scientists. In this book, scientists and theologians partner with experts in the humanities to understand how people come to peace within themselves and with others.