Agnostics who accept God’s supposed love experience greater well-being

Figures & data

Table 1. Key Bivariate Correlations.

	God Anxiety BM	God Avoidance BM	God Anxiety RK	God Avoidance RK	Accepting God’s love	Resisting God’s love
God Attachment
Avoidance BM	−.44***
Anxiety RK	.52***	−.13*
Avoidance RK	−.31***	.63***	−.23***
New Measures
Accepting God’s love	.15**	−.42***	.25***	−.44***
Resisting God’s love	.25***	.18***	.23***	.33***	−.16**
Importance of R/S
Religion	.37***	−.49***	.20***	−.36***	.37***	.02
Spirituality	.29***	−.29***	.19***	−.20***	.23***	.03
God Image
Cruel	.11	.28***	.05	.29***	−.40***	.27***
Kind	.14*	−.34***	.18**	−.41***	.50***	−.18**
Distant	−.07	.37***	−.10	.49***	−.48***	.27***
Evidence for God
Evidence	.25***	−.46***	.18***	−.38***	.33***	−.06
Past Experience with God
Positive emotions	.35***	−.39***	.29***	−.40***	.52***	−.01
Anger at God	.37***	.04	.22***	.16**	−.13*	.31***
God angry at you	.47***	.17**	.32***	−.02	.01	.40***
Doubts about God	−.07	.35***	.06	.39***	−.20***	.31***
Big Five
Agreeableness	−.13*	−.06	.04	−.14*	.21***	−.25***
Conscientiousness	−.35***	.07	−.12*	.08	.19***	−.16**
Extroversion	.06	−.11*	.05	−.16**	.13*	−.08
Openness	−.10	−.07	.02	.03	−.01	−.07
Neuroticism	.22***	.09	.10	.15**	−.24***	.24***
Well-being Indicators
Gratitude	−.15**	−.05	.01	−.12*	.31***	−.14**
Satisfaction with life	−.48***	.14**	−.19***	.05	.20***	−.27***
Depression	.43***	−.11*	.20***	.03	−.14**	.32***
Self-esteem	−.46***	.10	−.20***	−.01	.23***	−.32***

Note 1: BM = Beck and MacDonald (2004); RK = Rowatt and Kirkpatrick (2002).

Note 2: * = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001.

Figure 1. God attachment and self-esteem.

Figure 2. God attachment and life satisfaction.

Figure 3. God attachment and depression.

Table 2. Accepting God’s love predicting additional variance in gratitude.

Gratitude
	β (SE)	B	ΔR^2
Step 1			.297***
Step 2			.008
God Anxiety BM	−.04 (.07)	−.04
God Avoidance BM	.08 (.09)	.06
God Anxiety RK	.01 (.05)	−.01
God Avoidance RK	−.11 (.07)	−.10
Step 3			.018*
God Anxiety BM	−.07 (.07)	−.05
God Avoidance BM	.09 (.09)	.07
God Anxiety RK	−.03 (.05)	−.02
God Avoidance RK	−.13 (.08)	−.11
Accepting God’s love	.24 (.06)	.17**
Resisting God’s love	.11 (.06)	.08
Total R^2			.323

Note. Step 1: F(18, 246) = 5.78; Step 2: F(4, 219) = 4.36; Step 3: F(2, 213) = 4.23.

* = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001.

Table 3. Anxious God attachment and Accepting God’s love predicting additional variance in life satisfaction.

Life Satisfaction
	β (SE)	B	ΔR^2
Step 1			.497***
Step 2			.075***
God Anxiety BM	−.25 (.08)	−.28***
God Avoidance BM	.05 (.10)	.08
God Anxiety RK	−.05 (.06)	−.06
God Avoidance RK	−.01 (.08)	−.08
Step 3
God Anxiety BM	−.24 (.08)	−.27***	.018**
God Avoidance BM	.07 (.10)	.11
God Anxiety RK	−.06 (.06)	−.06
God Avoidance RK	.07 (.08)	.08
Accepting God’s love	.20 (.07)	.20**
Resisting God’s love	−.09 (.06)	−.11
Total R^2			.590

Note. Step 1: F(18, 249) = 13.67; Step 2: F(4, 223) = 13.57; Step 3: F(2, 217) = 13.02.

* = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001.

Table 4. Anxious God attachment and Accepting God’s love predicting additional variance in self-esteem.

Self-esteem
	β (SE)	B	ΔR^2
Step 1			.564***
Step 2			.059**
God Anxiety BM	−.17 (.07)	−.20**
God Avoidance BM	.10 (.10)	.15
God Anxiety RK	−.07 (.06)	−.08
God Avoidance RK	−.01 (.08)	−.02
Step 3			.026**
God Anxiety BM	−.17 (.07)	−.20**
God Avoidance BM	.13 (.10)	.19
God Anxiety RK	−.07 (.06)	−.08
God Avoidance RK	.05 (.08)	.04
Accepting God’s love	.20 (.06)	.21**
Resisting God’s love	−.10 (.06)	−.11
Total R^2			.649

Note. Step 1: F(18, 246) = 17.66; Step 2: F(4, 220) = 16.55; Step 3: F(2, 214) = 16.5.

* = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001.

Table 5. God attachment predicting additional variance in depression.

Depression
	β (SE)	B	ΔR^2
Step 1			.498***
Step 2			.064**
God Anxiety BM	.17 (.10)	.26*
God Avoidance BM	−.14 (.13)	−.24*
God Anxiety RK	.08 (.08)	.11
God Avoidance RK	.01 (.10)	.01
Step 3			.001
God Anxiety BM	.16 (.10)	.22*
God Avoidance BM	−.15 (.13)	−.28*
God Anxiety RK	.08 (.08)	.11
God Avoidance RK	−.03 (.11)	−.04
Accepting God’s love	−.06 (.09)	−.08
Resisting God’s love	.08 (.08)	.10
Total R^2			.563

Note. Step 1: F(18, 247) = 13.63; Step 2: F(4, 220) = 12.83; Step 3: F(2, 214) = 11.5.

* = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001.

Beck, R., & MacDonald, A. (2004). Attachment to God: The Attachment to God Inventory, tests of working model correspondence, and an exploration of faith group differences. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 32(2), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/009164710403200202

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Rowatt, W. C., & Kirkpatrick, L. A. (2002). Two dimensions of attachment to God and their relation to affect, religiosity, and personality constructs. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(4), 637–651. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5906.00143

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