“To err is human, to forgive, divine”: religious doubt, psychological well-being and the moderating role of divine forgiveness

A significant amount of research to date has been done to study the effects of forgiveness on mental health and well-being, but less research has been conducted on divine forgiveness. The main purpose of the current study is to examine the possible moderating role of divine forgiveness. Drawing on a...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Upenieks, Laura (Author) ; Ellison, Christopher G. 1960- (Author) ; Krause, Neal M. 1948- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Year: 2025, Volume: 37, Issue: 1, Pages: 98-119
Further subjects:B religious doubt
B Depression
B Life Satisfaction
B divine forgiveness
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:A significant amount of research to date has been done to study the effects of forgiveness on mental health and well-being, but less research has been conducted on divine forgiveness. The main purpose of the current study is to examine the possible moderating role of divine forgiveness. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of 1,500 older adults, regression results suggest that greater divine forgiveness exacerbated the relationship between high religious doubt and greater depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction. We did not document similar moderation patterns between religious doubt and forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness. Understanding the impact of divine forgiveness for those experiencing uncertainty in their faith is crucial to gaining a more complete picture of religion’s “dark side, and we hope future research continues to pursue these objectives.
ISSN:1552-8049
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/15528030.2023.2262406