Beliefs about human nature moderate the association between religious fundamentalism and hate: The case of Muslims in Indonesia

The paper addresses the issue of the paradoxical impact on religious fundamentalism within intergroup relations. In particular, the present study tested how the presence of beliefs of human nature as good (vs. evil) could serve as a moderating factor on the association between religious fundamentalism and outgroup hate. The results from two correlational studies with Muslim participants (a majority group) targeting two outgroup minorities, (non-Muslim) Chinese Indonesians (Study 1; N = 400) and Christians (Study 2; N = 183) showed that the positive association between religious fundamentalism and hate was attenuated when people believed that human nature is good instead of evil. Same pattern of results was obtained using an experimental design (Study 3, N = 154) from Muslim participants targeting Chinese Indonesians. The findings indicate a promising sign for a way to suppress the influence of religious fundamentalism on outgroup hate.