Parent-child transmission of Biblical literalism and its relation to children’s attitudes toward science: A post-critical belief scale analysis

The present research investigated how Biblical literalism – a dimension of post-critical beliefs that concerns with a literal interpretation of religious objects and events – relates to the ways parents communicate with their children about religion and science in religious families, and its implications for children’s attitudes toward science. This question was investigated in two studies: one exploratory study (N = 119), and one preregistered replication to confirm Study 1 results, with data collected from adult “child” subjects (N = 653) and their parents (N = 220). Findings from both studies showed that, for those with parents who endorse biblical literalism, parents’ support for children’s religious autonomy contributed to children’s religiosity and greater endorsement of biblical literalism. Endorsement of this belief correlated negatively with children’s interest in science and perceiving science as useful. By shedding light on how religious cognition is passed down from parents to children, the present research suggested that Biblical literalism – although a rigid system of belief – could be internalized and in turn shapes the way individuals interact with information outside of their religion.