Save the Economy, Liberty, and Yourself: Christian Nationalism and Americans’ Views on Government COVID-19 Restrictions

During the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local governments implemented lockdown restrictions that were tremendously polarizing. Those on the cultural and political left supported restrictions hoping to protect the vulnerable, while those on the cultural and political right challenged restrictions citing threats to the economy and liberty. We theorize that libertarian and authoritarian impulses within Christian nationalism undergirded much of the resistance to government restrictions. Analyzing national panel data collected before and during the pandemic, we find Christian nationalism is either the first or second strongest predictor that Americans prioritize the economy and liberty and deprioritize the vulnerable when asked about government restrictions. Religiosity works in the opposite direction, however. Findings underscore the centrality of Christian nationalism as an ideological driver of far-right discourse shaping COVID-19 responses.

Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research

In this brief note written during a global pandemic, we consider some of the important ways this historical moment is altering the religious landscape, aiming our investigative lens at how religious institutions, congregations, and individuals are affected by the social changes produced by COVID-19. This unprecedented time prompts scholars of religion to reflect on how to strategically approach the study of religion in the time of "social distancing," as well as moving forward. Particularly important considerations include developing heuristic, innovative approaches for revealing ongoing changes to religion, as well as how religion continues to structure social life across a wide range of contexts, from the most intimate and personal to the most public and global. Although our note can only be indicative rather than exhaustive, we do suggest that the initial groundwork for reconsiderations might productively focus on several key analytical themes, including: Epidemiology, Ideology, Religious Practice, Religious Organizations and Institutions, as well as Epistemology and Methodology. In offering these considerations as a starting point, we remain aware (and hopeful) that inventive and unanticipated approaches will also emerge.

Is a "Christian America" a More Patriarchal America? Religion, Politics, and Traditionalist Gender Ideology

Recent research shows that Americans who adhere to Christian nationalism-an ideology that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity and American civic life-tend to hold authoritarian and exclusionary attitudes, particularly regarding ethno-racial minorities and nontraditional family forms. Such findings suggest a fundamental connection between Christian nationalism and rigid symbolic boundaries, which would likely extend to Americans' understanding of gender roles. Drawing on notions connecting religious nationalism with defenses of patriarchal norms and utilizing a recent national, random sample of American adults, the current study examines the link between contemporary Christian nationalism and traditionalist gender ideologies. Our analyses reveal that Christian nationalism is the strongest predictor of holding a more traditionalist gender ideology, even after taking into account a host of political and religious characteristics. Moreover, the relationship between Christian nationalism and gender traditionalism holds across religious traditions, including more gender-egalitarian groups like Mainline Protestants and even the unaffiliated. We conclude by highlighting the implications of these findings for understanding contemporary populist support for Donald Trump, which previous studies have shown is undergirded by both Christian nationalism and sexism.

Only Bad for Believers? Religion, Pornography Use, and Sexual Satisfaction Among American Men

Research has often demonstrated a negative association between pornography use and various intrapersonal and relationship outcomes, particularly for men. Several recent studies, however, have suggested that the negative association between pornography use and these indicators is stronger among more religious Americans, suggesting that moral incongruence (engaging in an activity that violates one's sacred values) and the attendant shame or cognitive dissonance, rather than pornography use per se, may be the primary factor at work. The current study tested and extended this theory by examining how religion potentially moderates the link between pornography use and sexual satisfaction in a national random sample of American adults (N = 1,501). Analyses demonstrated that while pornography use was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction for American men (not women), among men who rarely attended religious services or held a low opinion of the Bible this negative association essentially disappeared. Conversely, the negative association between frequency of pornography consumption and sexual satisfaction was more pronounced for men with stronger ties to conventional religion. These findings suggest that the connection between pornography use and sexual satisfaction, especially for men, depends largely on what viewing pornography means to consumers and their moral community and less so on the practice itself.

Gun Control in the Crosshairs: Christian Nationalism and Opposition to Stricter Gun Laws

Despite increasingly frequent mass shootings and a growing dissatisfaction with current gun laws, American opposition to federal gun legislation remains strong. The authors show that opposition to stricter gun control is closely linked to Christian nationalism, a religious cultural framework that mandates a symbiotic relationship between Christianity and civil society. Using data from a national population-based survey, the authors show that Christian nationalism is an exceptionally strong predictor of opposition to the federal government’s enacting stricter gun laws. Of all the variables considered, only general political orientation has more predictive power than Christian nationalism. The authors propose that the gun control debate is complicated by deeply held moral and religious schemas that discussions focused solely on rational public safety calculations do not sufficiently address. For the substantial proportion of American society who are Christian nationalists, gun rights are God given and sacred. Consequently, attempts to reform existing gun laws must attend to the deeper cultural and religious identities that undergird Americans’ beliefs about gun control.

Unbuckling the Bible Belt: A State-Level Analysis of Religious Factors and Google Searches for Porn

While the link between individual religious characteristics and pornography consumption is well established, relatively little research has considered how the wider religious context may influence pornography use. Exceptions in the literature to date have relied on relatively broad, subjective measures of religious commitment, largely ignoring issues of religious belonging, belief, or practice. This study moves the conversation forward by examining how a variety of state-level religious factors predict Google searches for the term porn, net of relevant sociodemog raphic and ideological controls. Our multivariate findings indicate that higher percentages of Evangelical Protestants, theists, and biblical literalists in a state predict higher frequencies of searching for porn, as do higher church attendance rates. Conversely, higher percentages of religiously unaffiliated persons in a state predict lower frequencies of searching for porn. Higher percentages of total religious adherents, Catholics, or mainline Protestants in a state are unrelated to searching for porn with controls in place. Contrary to recent research, our analyses also show that higher percentages of political conservatives in a state predicted lower frequencies of porn searches. Our findings support theories that more salient, traditional religious influences in a state may influence residents-whether religious or not-toward more covert sexual experiences.

Homosexuality, Religion, and the Family: The Effects of Religion on Americans' Appraisals of the Parenting Abilities of Same-Sex Couples

Although a growing body of research focuses on Americans' attitudes toward same-sex couples as parents, very few include measures of religion, and those that do fail to capture its multidimensional nature. Furthermore, many past studies relied on convenience samples of college students, or samples gathered outside the United States. Multivariate analyses of the 2012 General Social Survey-a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States-reveal that a slim majority of Americans still do not believe same-sex couples can parent as well as male-female couples, and the religious beliefs, behaviors, and affiliations of Americans are significantly and at times differentially associated with appraisals of same-sex couples' parenting abilities. It appears that although religion is generally associated with more negative appraisals of the parenting abilities of same-sex couples, it is not uniformly so. Americans' immediate religious and cultural context can shape their appraisals of homosexuality in diverse ways.

Same-Sex Adoption as a Welfare Alternative? Conservatism, Neoliberal Values, and Support for Adoption by Same-Sex Couples

Despite conservatives' long-term opposition to gay and lesbian parenting, scholars theorize that a strong commitment to neoliberalism may influence conservative Americans to become more tolerant of same-sex adoption as a way to relieve the government from subsidizing poor families. Drawing on national survey data (2010 Baylor Religion Survey), we test whether holding neoliberal values is associated with greater support for same-sex adoption in general and across political or religious conservatives. We find no support for either theory-emphatically the opposite, in fact. Neoliberal values are negatively associated with support for same-sex adoption for Americans in general and among political and religious conservatives. We find little evidence of a tension among conservatives regarding same-sex adoption as both their neoliberal values and moral beliefs incline them to oppose same-sex adoption along with other same-sex family relationships.

Small groups, contexts, and civic engagement: A multilevel analysis of United States Congregational Life Survey data

Prior research suggests that church-goers are more civically engaged than their non-church-going counterparts. Little is known, however, about how the popular phenomenon of small groups factors into this equation. In the present study, we examine relationships between small group participation at individual and congregation levels and civic engagement. Using multilevel modeling and national data on congregations and individuals from the U.S. Congregational Life Study (n=82,044), we find that: (1) individual-level small group involvement is associated with four measures of civic engagement; (2) congregation-level small group participation is associated with both lower and higher civic engagement in the case of two outcomes; and (3) in the case of three civic outcomes, congregation-level small group participation moderates individual-level small group involvement such that small group members' civic activity more closely resembles the lower civic engagement of small group nonparticipants. In the case of one civic outcome, at high levels of overall small group participation, small group members' civic engagement drops below that of small group nonparticipants. Explanations for these findings, including a "crowding out" effect, are examined including their complex implications for debates regarding small groups, religious involvement, and civic engagement.

Minimally-invasive fetal autopsy using magnetic resonance imaging and percutaneous organ biopsies: clinical value and comparison to conventional autopsy

OBJECTIVES

Autopsy is an important investigation following fetal death or termination for fetal abnormality. Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide macroscopic information of comparable quality to that of conventional autopsy in the event of perinatal death. It does not provide tissue for histological examination, which may limit the quality of counseling for recurrence risks and elucidation of the cause of death. We sought to examine the comparability and clinical value of a combination of postmortem MRI and percutaneous fetal organ biopsies (minimally invasive autopsy (MIA)) with conventional fetal autopsy.

METHODS

Forty-four fetuses underwent postmortem MRI and attempted percutaneous biopsy (using surface landmarks) of major fetal organs (liver, lung, heart, spleen, kidney, adrenal and thymus) following fetal death or termination for abnormality, prior to conventional autopsy, which was considered the 'gold standard'. We compared significant findings of the two examinations for both diagnostic information and clinical significance. Ancillary investigations (such as radiographs and placental histology) were regarded as common to the two forms of autopsy.

RESULTS

In 21 cases conventional autopsy provided superior diagnostic information to that of MIA. In two cases the MIA provided superior diagnostic information to that of conventional autopsy, when autolysis prevented detailed examination of the fetal brain. In the remaining 21 cases, conventional autopsy and MIA provided equivalent diagnostic information. With regard to clinical significance, however, in 32 (72.7%) cases, the MIA provided information of at least equivalent clinical significance to that of conventional autopsy. In no case did the addition of percutaneous biopsies reveal information of additional clinical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Although in some cases MRI may provide additional information, conventional perinatal autopsy remains the gold standard for the investigation of fetal death. The utility of adding percutaneous organ biopsies, without imaging guidance, to an MRI-based fetal autopsy remains unproven. Postmortem MRI, combined with ancillary investigations such as placental histology, external examination by a pathologist, cytogenetics and plain radiography provided information of equivalent clinical significance in the majority of cases.

Management of women with a cervical smear showing a mild degree of dyskaryosis: a review of policy

Three hundred and thirty-seven women who presented for the first time with a cervical smear showing a mild degree of dyskaryosis were followed for a minimum period of 3 years and 9 months. Of the 305 women with complete cytological and histological records, 178 were biopsied and 127 remained on cytological follow up. In the biopsied group one case of microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed within 1 year of the patient's first abnormal smear. A further 24% showed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, 17% showed CIN II and 29% showed CIN III. The overall regression rate for the group of 305 women was 34%. Our results indicate that cytological surveillance is acceptable provided that biopsy is advised when dyskaryosis persists. No major modifications to laboratory policy are indicated and in approximately 34% of cases an unnecessary hospital referral would be avoided.

Use of a confidence scale in reporting postmortem fetal magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVES

Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be an alternative to conventional autopsy. However, it is unclear how confident radiologists are in reporting such studies. We sought to determine the confidence with which radiologists report on various fetal organs by developing a scale to express their confidence of normality and abnormality, and to place this in the context of a pathological diagnosis of whether the organ was in fact normal or abnormal.

METHODS

Thirty fetuses, aged 16-39 gestational weeks and weighing 61-3270 g, underwent postmortem MRI prior to conventional autopsy. MRI studies were reported by two radiologists with access to the clinical and sonographic history: a neuroradiologist, reporting head and neck, and a pediatric radiologist, reporting thorax, abdomen and pelvis. Radiologists used a scale (0 = definitely abnormal, 100 = definitely normal, 50 = unable to comment) to indicate their confidence of anatomical structures being normal or abnormal, using a checklist. Conventional autopsies were performed by pediatric pathologists blinded to the MRI findings, and these were considered the reference standard.

RESULTS

Most normal fetal organs had high scores on postmortem MRI, with median confidence scores above 80. However, the atrioventricular valves, duodenum, bowel rotation and pancreas proved more difficult to assess, with median scores of 50, 60, 60 and 62.5, respectively. Abnormal cardiac atria and ventricles, kidneys, cerebral hemispheres and corpus callosum were always detected with high or moderate degrees of confidence (median scores of 2.5, 5, 0, 0 and 30 respectively). However, in two cases with abnormal cardiac outflow tracts, both cases scored 50. Kappa values, assessing agreement between MRI diagnoses of abnormality and autopsy, were high for the brain (0.83), moderate for the lungs (0.56) and fair for the heart (0.33).

CONCLUSIONS

This scoring system represents an attempt to define the confidence of radiologists to report varying degrees of normality and abnormality following z ex-utero fetal MRI. While most fetal anatomy is clearly visualized on postmortem MRI, radiologists may lack confidence reporting such studies and there are particular problems with assessment of some cardiac and gastrointestinal structures, both normal and abnormal.