S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 2 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 6 4 1 Amir Azarvan In Round 2, I collapsed my measures of tolerance and acceptance into dichotomous variables, and ran binary logistics regressions to gauge probabilities of agreement with each of the four statements listed in Table 2. Holding sex and convert status constant [15], I discovered that one-unit increases in church attendance, spiritual reading, and taking communion increase the probability that one will be willing to befriend a sociopolitical rival by factors of .981, .988, and .978, respectively. Interestingly, vigil-keeping appears to deviate from this pattern to some extent. For instance, this activity is inversely and significantly associated with the likelihood that one will be willing to befriend a sociopolitical rival (p < .1). It would seem that, for those living in the world, keeping vigil – a mainly monastic activity – may entail some risk. The consequent sleep deprivation may render one more irritable, and thus less tolerant of others. In a monastic setting, by contrast, there are certain safeguards that may mitigate or reverse this effect. That said, it is arguable that certain spiritual practices have peace-inducing effects. This may come as little surprise to those immersed in the spiritual life. “Without prayer”, an Athonite monk asks, “how can the monk love God and his fellowman?” For him, every cry to God constitutes one step towards the surpassing of egoism and the opening of one’s heart to God and man (Fr. George Kapsanis, Date Unknown). 5 Concluding Remarks This investigation is a preliminary attempt at understanding how spiritual practices might relate to political attitudes and outlooks. This study may be affected by selection bias, as it appears that my respondents were limited mainly to those Christians who were on priests’ email lists or who attended church and learned of my survey through a church bulletin or announcement. If the population of interest is all self-professing Christians, then one’s sample should include those who rarely attend church and are beyond the reach of their pastors or priests. This issue aside, it is hoped that this study will contribute to a renewed appreciation for spirituality. Those of faith may not only extol the personal benefits that spirituality brings [16], but they may now also point to its potential societal benefits, for the findings of this study indicate that certain spiritual practices may enhance one’s tolerance of sociopolitical rivals. This suggests that spirituality may bring greater harmony to what seems like an increasingly fractious society. These possibilities should be explored in future research.
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