Abstract
Religious institutions have been identified as important conduits in shaping social attitudes toward nature and the environment. Using Lynn White's historical thesis that Judeo-Christianity has cherished the domination of nature ('dominion' belief) by humans as our frame of reference, this article examines the impact of religion, specifically Abrahamic and Judeo-Christian beliefs, on environmental attitudes in Britain. Based on the 1993 British Social Attitudes Survey, a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Britain, the multivariate results of this paper suggest that: (a) there is no significant difference between Christians and non-Christians concerning environmental attitudes; (b) Roman Catholics are the most sceptic toward nature among Christian denominations; and (c) irrespective of religious identification, the two most notable and consistent factors in determining pro-dominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 139-155 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | The British Journal of Sociology |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2001 |
Keywords
- religion
- nature
- Britain
- environment
- Christian
- ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
- KNOWLEDGE
- GENDER