Citation

Sherkat DE. Soc. Sci. Res. 2010; 39(1): 2-13.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.05.007

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Religion has a powerful influence on learning and development, and this provides an important cultural foundation for stratification processes. Findings from prior studies of the connection between religion and educational attainment are mixed, but most studies point to negative effects of sectarian Protestant affiliation and fundamentalist beliefs in the inerrancy of sacred texts on educational attainment, aspirations, occupational attainment, and wealth. Verbal ability provides an important potential mechanism through with conservative religion anchors stratification outcomes. I examine the impact of religious affiliation, religious participation, and beliefs in the inerrancy of the Bible on verbal ability. Using data from the 1984-2006 General Social Surveys, I find that both inerrantist beliefs and sectarian affiliations have substantial negative effects on verbal ability. Religious participation has a modest positive effect on verbal ability, but its influence is mostly confined to sectarian Protestants and biblical inerrantists. Importantly, the positive effect of age on verbal ability is substantially weaker among sectarians and biblical inerrantists, suggesting that their closed social networks hinder learning throughout the lifecourse.