The Heresy Effect: Policing the Boundaries of Religious Identity

• In Event: Religion, Minorities, and Nationalism in the U.S.

Abstract

Religion is an entrenched feature of American social and political life, and candidates for American political offices are quick to claim affiliations with religious communities. However, religious identities are bounded by doctrine - formally delineated, foundational beliefs that help delimit the terms of authentic group membership. This paper details the results of a survey experiment, in which we test whether respondents will punish political candidates who claim religious belief, but express beliefs which contradict the doctrines of their religion. We call this “the heresy effect” - the propensity to police the ideological boundaries of an identity. We contend that because religious identities are predicated on belief, respondents will punish candidates who claim a religious identity, but express heretical views. Furthermore, we expect that both believers and non-believers will be equally committed to policing the ideological boundaries of the candidates’ religious identity, because the beliefs themselves provide a standard against which the authenticity of the candidate’s claim can be evaluated. In this way, we aim to show that belonging to a social group is determined not only by an individual’s claim, but rather through a negotiation between an individual and the community.

Authors

• Jade McKay Burt, University of Michigan

• Joshua Thorp, University of Michigan