Divine Forgiveness and Well-being Among Emerging Adults in the USA

After we transgress God's values: relational spirituality as a paradigm for the Christian experience of reconciliation with God

In the Christian spiritual journey, the desire for communion with God is sometimes challenged by personal sin-instances in which the believer transgresses God's standards or values for how they ought to live. Thus, the need for divine forgiveness is an important concept in Christianity. To date, relatively little research has explored Christian experiences of forgiveness from God for personal sin, the factors that shape those experiences, and the effects of experiencing forgiveness from God on different aspects of their life. To support the development of research in this area, this paper proposes a relational spirituality model of personal sin for conceptualizing how a network of interrelated cognitive-affective appraisals involving the self, the personal sin, God, and other people can shape a Christian's experience of, response to, and resolution of personal sin. We introduce the core elements of the model and explore how the interrelations among these elements might influence a Christian's relational experience with God following recognition of a personal sin. We discuss the unique contributions of the model to the psychological literature on divine forgiveness and highlight implications of the model for advancing research on Christian experiences of forgiveness from God.

Implications of Divine Forgiveness for Conciliatory Behavior: Understanding How Feeling Forgiven by God Influences Apologies Via Self-Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Humility

In the current research, we tested the downstream effects of divine forgiveness (i.e., perceived forgiveness by God) on interpersonal apology behavior through two counteracting pathways: an inhibiting pathway through self-forgiveness and a facilitating pathway through gratitude and humility. In Study 1 (N = 435), using recalled offenses, we found that higher perceived divine forgiveness was positively associated with self-forgiveness, which in turn was negatively associated with apology behavior. In Study 2 (N = 531), using recalled offenses and an experimental design, we replicated our findings from Study 1 whereby divine forgiveness (vs. control) promoted greater self-forgiveness, which in turn was negatively associated with apology behavior. However, we found positive indirect effects of divine forgiveness on apology behavior via the serial mediators of gratitude and humility. Together, these studies offer insight into how divine forgiveness can both hinder and encourage transgressors' constructive responses to conflict through different psychological mechanisms.

Psychological perspectives on divine forgiveness: seeking divine forgiveness

Seeking divine forgiveness (forgiveness by a Supreme Being or Higher Power) is important because the perception of such forgiveness is associated with psychological well-being This paper is the first to examine a process model of divine forgiveness in which the decision to pursue such forgiveness initiates the process of seeking it. Two studies investigate the likelihood of seeking divine forgiveness. Study 1 (N = 190) introduces and provides discriminant validity for a unidimensional measure divine forgiveness seeking. Convergent validity is provided by demonstrating that seeking divine forgiveness correlates with reported experiences of divine forgiveness both concurrently and six weeks later. Study 2 (N = 390) provides a confirmatory factor analysis of seeking divine forgiveness scale items identified in Study 1 and replicates the concurrent and temporal association with reported experiences of divine forgiveness using a longer time interval (12 weeks). It also documents associations between a person's image of God, attachment and closeness to God and the likelihood of seeking divine forgiveness. Both studies control for religiosity and Study 2 introduces an additional control for impression management. Together, they provide support for the idea that the decision to pursue divine forgiveness begins the process of seeking such forgiveness. We discuss limitations of the research and outline several paths for additional studies.

Psychological perspectives on divine forgiveness: 3. Trait self-control is associated with well-being through seeking divine forgiveness

Introduction

Although a majority of the world's population believes in a Higher Power and subscribes to a religion in which divine forgiveness is emphasized, little work has been done to understand individual differences associated with seeking divine forgiveness.

Methods

Building on work that suggests trait self-control facilitates well-being, the current study (N = 439, undergraduate students) applies structural equation modeling (SEM) to test whether believers higher (vs. lower) in trait self-control are more likely to seek divine forgiveness, and, in turn, have better psychological health.

Results and discussion

We find that people higher in self-control engage in more divine forgiveness seeking (b = 0.16), and seeking divine forgiveness represents one of the pathways associated with psychological health (i.e., seeking is associated with higher well-being, b = 0.21, and lower distress, b = -0.07). Crucially, we operationalize both positive (well-being and flourishing) and negative (depression, anxiety, stress) aspects of psychological health and control for religiosity. These results suggest that for those who believe in God, seeking divine forgiveness may be one mechanism that links individuals' self-control to good psychological health, and this is not merely an artifact of higher levels of religiosity. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Physical Violence and Scapegoating Within the Family: An Exploration of Biblical Texts and Contemporary Psychology

To understand physical violence in the family, it is important to define the role of the victim. The term "scapegoat" is a universal anthropological concept, often used in sociological theories, where a certain group of people and/or minorities are often victimized or blamed (e.g., social ills). We may note that the phenomenon of scapegoating is most clearly expressed in the Bible. Therefore, we will use relevant biblical texts that refer to parental use of corporal punishment in which a child is scapegoated and/or victimized by parental violence. In this sense, the Bible is the most profound explanation and manifestation of the cultural, social, and especially religious development of humanity. At the same time, the concept of scapegoating is also demonstrated in psychology and therapy, where it also serves as a basis for understanding, for example, physical violence in the family, and where it is also crucial to define the role of the victim. In this article, therefore, we will explain the biblical background of this concept and highlight two basic dynamics of violence against children in the family: when the child is the "scapegoat" for unresolved tensions in the family and when the child becomes the "sacrifice" or victim of the dysregulated emotional response of his or her parents.