Skip to main content
Log in

Positive God Images and Positive Emotions toward God: Exploring Variations among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics

  • Published:
Pastoral Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

How people view God is an important part of religious life. The purpose of this study is to see if four positive God image measures and two measures of positive emotions toward God vary among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. The data come from a recent nationwide survey in the United States (N = 2500). The findings reveal that, compared to Whites and Hispanics, Blacks have more positive image of God scores on all four measures. The data indicate that Blacks are also more likely than Whites and Hispanics to have strong positive emotions toward God. In contrast, consistent differences between Hispanics and Whites failed to emerge across all of the study measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Preliminary analysis reveals that the wide majority of atheists in this study self-identify as Whites (88.9%) whereas far fewer Hispanics (9.5%) or Blacks (1.6%) claim to be atheists.

References

  • Althoff, A. (2006). Religious identities of Latin American immigrants in Chicago: Preliminary findings from field research. University of Chicago Divinity School. http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publicaitons.webforum/062006/Althoff_religious_identities.pdf.

  • Becker, H. (1963). The outsiders. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Billingsley, A. (1999). Mighty like a river: The black church and social reform. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, M., Ellison, C. G., & Flannelly, K. J. (2008). Prayer, god imagery, and symptoms of psychopathology. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 47, 644–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns, J. M. (1994). The Mexican Catholic community in California. In J. P. Dolan & G. M. Hinojosa (Eds.), Mexican Americans and the Catholic Church 1900–1965 (pp. 129–221). South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, D. (1990). Religions of Mesoamerica: Cosmovision and ceremonial centers. Long Grove: Waveland Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Hispanic or Latino populations. http://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/populations/REMP/hispanic.htm.

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Hispanic and latino populations. Centers for disease control and prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/hispanic.htm

  • Davis, E. H., Murphy, G. L., & Mauch, J. C. (2013). God images and god concepts: Definitions, development, and dynamics. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5, 51–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Degelman, D., & Lynn, D. (1995). The development and preliminary validation of the belief in divine intervention scale. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 25, 37–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elizondo, V. (2010). Spiritual writings. Maryknoll: Orbis Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, E. C. (2007). Mexican American Catholics. New York: Paulist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group (1999). Multidimensional measurement of religion/spirituality for use in health research. Kalamazoo: John E. Fetzer Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glock, C. Y., & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and society in tension. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co..

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L., Hoffman, J. L., Dillard, K., Clark, J., Acoba, J., Williams, F., & Jones, T. T. (2008). Diversity and the god image: Examining ethnic differences in the experience of God for a college-age population. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 36, 26–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Stuetzie, R., Ironson, E., Balbin, E., Kremer, H., George, A., Schneiderman, N., & Fletcher, M. A. (2011). View of God as benevolent and forgiving or punishing and judgmental predicts HIV disease progression. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 34, 414–425.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G., King, D. E., & Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of religion and health (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2005). God-mediated control and psychological well-being in late life. Research on Aging, 27, 136–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2008). Aging in the church: How social relationships affect health. West Conshohocker: Templeton Foundation Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2012). Feelings of gratitude toward God among older whites, older african-americans, and older mexican americans. Research on Aging, 34, 156–173.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2016). Assessing supportive exchanges inside and outside religious institutions: Exploring variations among Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks. Social Indicators Research, 128, 131–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N., Emmons, R. A., & Ironson, G. (2015). Benevolent images of God, gratitude, and physical health status. Journal of Religion and Health, 54, 1503–1519.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leon, L. D. (2004). La Llorona’s children. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, J. S., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (1994). Race and gender differences in religiosity among older adults: Findings from four national surveys. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 49, S137–S145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, C. C., Tenorio, K. A., & Cheng, T. C. (2012). Racial differences in co-occurring substance use and serious psychological distress: The roles of marriage and religiosity. Substance Use & Misuse, 47, 734–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matovina, T. M. (1991). Liturgy and popular expressions of faith: A look at the works of Virgil Elizondo. Worship, 65, 436–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelsen, H. M., & Nelsen, A. K. (1975). Black church in the sixties. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center (2014). Wealth inequality has widened along racial, ethnic, lines since the Great Recession. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/12/racial-wealth-gaps.htm.

  • Roberts, J. D. (2003). In D. E. Goatley (Ed.), Black religion, black theology (Ed ed.). Harrisburg: Trinity Press International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosmarin, D. H., Pirutinsky, S., Cohen, A. B., Galler, Y., & Krumrei, E. J. (2011). Grateful to God or just plain grateful? A comparison of religious and general gratitude. Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 389–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowatt, W. C., Ottenbreit, A., Nesselroade, K. P., & Cunningham, P. A. (2002). On being holier-than-thou or humbler-than thee: A social-psychological perspective on religiousness and humility. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 227–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaap, J., Jonker, E., Eurelings-Rontekoe, B., Zock, H., & Jonker, E. (2008). Development and validation of the Dutch questionnaire God image: Effects of mental health and religious culture. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 11, 501–515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schieman, S., Pudrovska, T., & Milkei, M. A. (2005). The sense of divine control and self-concept. Review of Religious Research, 27, 165–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherkat, D. E. (2002). African-American religious affiliation in the late twentieth century: Cohort variations and patterns of switching, 1973–1998. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 485–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, A., Merluzzi, T. V., Pustejovsky, J. E., Park, C. L., George, L., Fitchett, G., et al. (2015). A meta-analytic review of religious and spiritual involvement and social health among cancer patients. Cancer, 121, 3779–3788.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sternthal, M. J., Williams, D. R., Music, M. A., & Buck, A. C. (2012). Religious practices, beliefs, and mental health: Variations by race and ethnicity. Ethnicity & Health, 17, 171–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, J. P. (2002). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences (4th ed.). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroope, S., Draper, S., & Whitehead, A. L. (2013). Images of a loving God and sense of meaning in life. Social Indicators Research, 111, 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. D. (2010). Risk and resilience in low-income African American families: Moderating effects of kinship social support. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 344–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Jayakody, R., & Levin, J. S. (1996). Black and white differences in religious participation: A multisample comparison. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 35, 403–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., & Levin, J. (2004). Religion in the lives of African Americans: Social, psychological, and health perspectives. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., Cole, B., Rye, M. S., Butter, E. M., Belvich, T. G., & Kadar, J. L. (1997). Religion and spirituality: Unfuzzing the fuzzy. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36, 549–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neal Krause.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Krause, N., Ironson, G. Positive God Images and Positive Emotions toward God: Exploring Variations among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Pastoral Psychol 66, 269–280 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-016-0742-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-016-0742-0

Keywords

Navigation