Skip to main content
Log in

Religious Beliefs Inspire Sustainable HOPE (Help Ourselves Protect the Environment): Culture, Religion, Dogma, and Liturgy—The Matthew Effect in Religious Social Responsibility

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

China has achieved economic prominence but damaged the natural environment. Can religions excite pro-environmental actions? Chinese religion encompasses Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, native Taoism, and indigenous folk beliefs (GuanDi and Mazu). We theorize that believers demonstrate more sustainable HOPE (Help Ourselves Protect the Environment) than non-believers. Religions with standardized and formal liturgy show more pro-environmental HOPE than those without it. We challenge the myth that the believers of Christianity and Islam display more sustainable HOPE than other faith. The 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (involving 10,017 randomly selected participants across 28 provinces) revealed that 11.10% of them have faith. Believers display higher levels of HOPE than atheists, demonstrating the religion effect. Among believers, native Taoism and Buddhism exhibit more ecological HOPE than other religions, supporting the dogma effect in the Chinese culture. Religions with formalized liturgy demonstrate more pro-environmental HOPE than generalized folk beliefs—GuanDi and Mazu, validating the liturgy effect. Females, married, and people with good income, education, health, and country-domicile—the haves—exhibit robust ecological HOPE. The rich get richer and greener. However, those who are older, males, urban residents, and the Han majority do not. We empirically demonstrate the Matthew Effect in Religious Social Responsibility: Religious faith facilitates believers’ pro-environmental behaviors—HOPE and ethical behaviors in China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Taoism and Confucianism have coexisted for more than 2,000 years. Taoism focuses on searching for meaning, whereas Confucianism pays more attention to social matters. Both share common beliefs about humans, society, and the universe.

  2. We are gratefully to an outstanding reviewer's excellent points, followed the instructions, and incorporated the reviewer's suggestions here.

  3. See Isaiah (65: 1–7) regarding the uncleanness of pork and Israel’s disobedience of the law, commanding Israel not to eat pork. “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [B]ut you shall not eat any of the following that only chew the cud or only have hoofs: the camel, the rock badger, the hare, and the pig, which does indeed have hoofs and is cloven-footed, but does not chew the cud and is therefore unclean for you” (Leviticus 11: 1–8). “These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the red deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the ibex, the addax, the oryx, and the mountain sheep” (Deuteronomy, 14: 4–8). “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile” (Matthew 15: 17–20).

  4. Guan Yu (關羽, 關公, 160-220 AD) was a Chinese military general, signaling loyalty, benevolence, and bravery (忠義仁). We use the Pictionary game to illustrate the meaning of two Chinese words: 仁義. The first word, , represents a person, , on the left, and the number two, , on the right. It indicates the relationships between two individuals. The second word shows a sheep (lamb/goat), (an animal with two horns, four legs, and a tail) on top of the word “I,” . Thus, one is willing to sacrifice one’s life as a lamb for another person. The notion of仁義 prevails between two people. Readers may find similar constructs in the Holy Bible (Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22: 1–19).

  5. Mazu (林默, 960–987 AD) was a famous sea goddess. She sacrificed her life trying to save shipwreck survivors. Worshipers celebrated her life twice a year.

  6. People may find many scary  wild animals in “wet markets” in Asia (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

  7. Fr. John Sims Baker, (2019, December 15). Liturgy Guide, Third Sunday of Advent.

  8. Due to the potential fear of reporting their religion to the Chinese government, some individuals may have reported: “no religion” in this survey. Consequently, due to their inaccurate reports, we may have eliminated religious believers in the analysis, causing sampling bias. We reveal a slightly different proportion of believers than other documents in the literature. Further, respondents may put the God of Money and the Kitchen God in the “other” category of religion.

  9. COP26 was the UN’s 26th global climate summit, Conference of the Parties, that took place in Glasgow, UK. COP21 initiated the Paris agreement in Paris (2015).

References

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 50(2), 179–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al Halbusi, H., Tang, T. L. P., Williams, K. A., & Ramayah, T. (2022). Do ethical leaders enhance employee ethical behavior? Organizational justice and ethical climate as dual mediators and leader moral attentiveness as a moderator—Evidence from Iraq’s emerging market. Asian Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-022-00143-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albert, E. (2015, May 7). Christianity in China. CFR backgrounder, council on foreign relations. Retrieved from https://china.usc.edu/council-foreign-relations-cfr-backgrounders-christianity-china-may-7-2015

  • Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (1998). The psychology of criminal conduct (2nd ed.). Anderson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, M. B., & Konisky, D. M. (2015). The role of religion in environmental attitudes. Social Science Quarterly, 96, 1244–1263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ariyabuddhiphongs, V., & Hongladarom, C. (2011). Violation of Buddhist five precepts, money consciousness, and the tendency to pay bribes among organizational employees in Bangkok, Thailand. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 33(3), 325–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assouad, A., & Parboteeah, K. P. (2017). Religion and innovation: A country institutional approach. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 15(1), 20–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Authers, J. (2016, August 19). Is greed good? No, it’s seriously bad for your wealth. Behavioural finance studies suggest a love of money weakens your ability as an investor. Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/f16edc12-65d1-11e6-a08a-c7ac04ef00aa

  • Badiner, A. H. (Ed.). (2012). Dharma Gaia: A harvest of essays in Buddhism and ecology (pp. xiv–xv). Parallax Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baier, C. J., & Wright, B. R. E. (2001). “If you love me, keep my commandments”: A meta-analysis of the effect of religion on crime. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 38, 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee, A., & Duflo, E. (2019). Good economics for hard times. Public Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belk, R. W. (1985). Materialism: Trait aspects of living in the material world. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3), 265–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettache, K., Hamamura, T., Idrissi, J. A., Amenyogbo, R. G. J., & Chiu, C. Y. (2019). Monitoring moral virtue: When the moral transgressions of in-group members are judged more severely. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 50(2), 268–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloomberg.com (2016). Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-08-10/investors-love-of-money-can-t-buy-riches-here-s-why

  • Booth, A., Johnson, D. R., Branaman, A., & Sica, A. (1995). Belief and behavior: Does religion matter in today’s marriage? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57(3), 661–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, H. H. (1999). Christianity and the environment in the American public. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38(1), 36–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brammer, S., Williams, G., & Zinkin, J. (2007). Religion and attitudes to corporate social responsibility in a large cross-country sample. Journal of Business Ethics, 71(3), 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, S. Q. (2004). The characteristics and social functions of Chinese folk beliefs: Taking Guan Di, Guanyin and Mazu as examples. Journal of Jiangsu University (Social Science Edition), 6, 32–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carnegie, D. (1936). How to win friends and influence people. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, K., & Zika, S. (1988). Religiosity, life meaning and wellbeing: Some relationships in a sample of women. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27, 411–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J. Q., Tang, T. L. P., & Tang, N. Y. (2014). Temptation, monetary intelligence (love of money), and environmental context on unethical intentions and cheating. Journal of Business Ethics, 123, 197–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y. J., & Tang, T. L. P. (2006). Attitude toward and propensity to engage in unethical behavior: Measurement invariance across major among university students. Journal of Business Ethics, 69(1), 77–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y. J., & Tang, T. L. P. (2013). The bright and dark sides of religiosity among university students: Do gender, college major, and income matter? Journal of Business Ethics, 115(3), 531–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y. J., Lee, V., & Tang, T. L. P. (2022). Yoking God and mammon inspire honesty: The Matthew Effect in religion. Working paper.

  • Chiu, R. K., & Tang, T. L. P. (2015). Temptation of money and monetary intelligence: From the New Testament to social sciences. In J. K. C. Lam & Y. S. Huang (Eds.), Economics, finance and Christian perspective (pp. 86–97). Shanghai, China: Shanghai Academy of Social Science Publisher, Ltd (Published in Simplified Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Clements, J. M., McCright, A. M., & Xiao, C. (2014). Green Christians? An empirical examination of environmental concern within the U.S. General public. Organization & Environment, 27(1), 85–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clements, J. M., Xiao, C., & McCright, A. M. (2014b). An examination of the “greening of Christianity” thesis among Americans, 1993–2010. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 53, 373–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clippard, S. D. (2011). The Lorax wears Saffron: Toward a Buddhist environmentalism. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 18, 213–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, A. J., Brauer, M., Burnett, R., Anderson, H. R., Frostad, J., Estep, K., et al. (2017). Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: An analysis of data from the global burden of diseases study 2015. Lancet, 389, 1907–1918.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conroy, S. J., & Emerson, T. L. N. (2004). Business ethics and religion: Religiosity as a predictor of ethical awareness among students. Journal of Business Ethics, 50(4), 383–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, X. (2017). Religious ethics and environmental ethics: A dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity. Yunnan Social Sciences, 1, 34–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cursino, M., & Faulkner, D. (2021). COP26: China and India must explain themselves, says Sharma. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59280241

  • Darlington, S. M. (2018). Environmental Buddhism across borders. Journal of Global Buddhism, 19, 77–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darlington, S. M. (2019). The potential of Buddhist environmentalism. The Ecological Citizen, 3, 25–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz, J. D. (2000). Religion and gambling in sin-city: A statistical analysis of the relationship between religion and gambling patterns in Las Vegas residents. The Social Science Journal, 37(3), 453–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar, H., Bond, R., Hurst, M., & Kasser, T. (2014). The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(5), 879–924.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downs, A., & Weigert, A. (1999). Scientific and religious convergence toward an environmental typology? A Search for scientific constructs in Papal and Episcopal documents. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38, 45–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, X., Jian, W., Du, Y., Feng, W., & Zeng, Q. (2014). Religion, the nature of ultimate owner, and corporate philanthropic giving: Evidence from China. Journal of Business Ethics, 123(2), 235–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, X., Jian, W., Lai, S., Du, Y., & Pei, H. (2015). Does religion mitigate earnings management: Evidence from China. Journal of Business Ethics, 131(3), 699–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, X., Wei, J., Zeng, Q., & Du, Y. (2013). Corporate environmental responsibility in polluting industries: Does religion matter? Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 485–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duara, P. (1988). Superscribing symbols: The myth of Guandi, Chinese God of War. The Journal of Asian Studies, 47(4), 778–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyreng, S. D., Mayew, W. J., & Williams, C. D. (2012). Religious social norms and corporate financial reporting. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 39(7–8), 845–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebenstein, A., Fan, M., Greenstone, M., He, G., & Zhou, M. (2017). New evidence on the impact of sustained exposure to air pollution on life expectancy from China’s Huai River Policy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(39), 10384–10389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckberg, D. L., & Blocker, T. J. (1996). Christianity, environmentalism, and the theoretical problem of fundamentalism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 35(4), 343–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiala, N. (2008). Meeting the demand: An estimation of potential future greenhouse gas emissions from meat production. Ecological Economics, 67(3), 412–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, J., & Kumar, S. (2014). Religion and risky health behaviors among US adolescents and adults. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 104, 123–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnham, A. (2014). The new psychology of money. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gentina, E., & Tang, T. L. P. (2018). Does adolescent popularity mediate relationships between both theory of mind and love of money and consumer ethics? Applied Psychology: An International Review, 67(4), 723–767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentina, E., Tang, T. L. P., & Gu, Q. X. (2017). Does bad company corrupt good morals? Social bonding and academic cheating among French and Chinese teens. Journal of Business Ethics, 146, 639–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentina, E., Daniel, C., & Tang, T. L. P. (2021). Mindfulness reduces avaricious monetary attitudes and enhances ethical consumer beliefs: Mindfulness training, timing, and practicing matter. Under review. Journal of Business Ethics, 173, 301–323.Thanks!

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granger, M. D., & Price, G. N. (2009). Does religion constrain the risky sex behavior associated with HIV/AIDS? Applied Economics, 41(6), 791–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greeley, A. (1993). Religion and attitudes toward the environment. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 32(1), 19–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grønhøj, A., & Thøgersen, J. (2012). Action speaks louder than words: The effect of personal attitudes and family norms on adolescents’ pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Economic Psychology, 33, 292–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grouzet, F. M., Kasser, T., Ahuvia, A., Dols, J. M., Kim, Y., Lau, S., Ryan, R. M., Saunders, S., Schmuck, P., & Sheldon, K. M. (2005). The structure of goal contents across 15 cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(5), 800–816.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grullon, G., Kanatas, G., & Weston, J. (2010). Religion and corporate (mis)behaviour. Working paper.

  • Gu, Q. X., Tang, T. L. P., & Jiang, W. (2015). Does moral leadership enhance employee creativity? Employee identification with leader and leader-member exchange (LMX) in the Chinese context. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(3), 513–529

  • Gu, Y., Wong, T. W., Law, C. K., Dong, G. H., Ho, K. F., Yang, Y., & Yim, S. H. (2018). Impacts of sectoral emissions in China and the implications: Air quality, public health, crop production, and economic costs. Environmental Research Letters, 13, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guth, J. L., Green, J. C., Kellstedt, L. A., & Smidt, C. W. (1995). Faith and the environment: Religious beliefs and attitudes on environmental policy. American Journal of Political Science, 39(2), 364–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackett, C., & McClendon, D. (2017). Pew Research Center. Christians remain world’s largest religious group, but they are declining in Europe. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/

  • Harper, C. L. (2008). Religion and environmentalism. Journal of Religion & Society, Supplement Series, 3, 5–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, B. G., & Marangudakis, M. (2001). Religion and attitudes towards nature in Britain. The British Journal of Sociology, 52(1), 139–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hei, B., & Zhang, J. (2005). The ecological harmonious concept of Islam. Chinese Religion, 6, 34–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilary, G., & Hui, K. W. (2009). Does religion matter in corporate decision making in America? Journal of Financial Economics, 93(3), 455–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, T. D., Burdette, A. M., Ellison, C. G., & Musick, M. A. (2006). Religious attendance and the health behaviors of Texas adults. Preventive Medicine, 42(4), 309–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou, X., Chan, C. K., Dong, G. H., & Yim, S. H. L. (2019). Impacts of transboundary air pollution and local emissions on PM2.5 pollution in the Pearl River Delta region of China and the public health, and the policy implications. Environmental Research Letters, 14, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, F., Tang, T. L. P., Hu, M. M., Su, C. H., & Cook, D. L. (2021, 30 July–3 August). Visualization of three tourist attractions in three minority locations: Low-carbon transitions. Paper presented at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management.

  • Huesemann, M. H. (2001). Can pollution problems be effectively solved by environmental science and technology? An analysis of critical limitations. Ecological Economics, 37, 271–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, M., Dittmar, H., Bond, R., & Kasser, T. (2013). The relationship between materialistic values and environmental attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, 257–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iannaccone, L. R. (1998). Introduction to the economics of religion. Journal of Economic Literature, 36(3), 1465–1495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Idler, E. L., & Kasl, S. V. (1992). Religion, disability, depression, and the timing of death. American Journal of Sociology, 97(4), 1052–1079.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (1981). Post-materialism in an environment of insecurity. American Political Science Review, 75(4), 880–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Islam, S. M. S., & Johnson, C. A. (2003). Correlates of smoking behavior among Muslim Arab-American adolescents. Ethnicity & Health, 8(4), 319–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jebb, A. T., Tay, L., Diener, E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Happiness, income satiation and turning points around the world. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(1), 33–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji, Q. (2002). Buddhism environmental thoughts. Buddhist. Culture, Z1, 27–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, W., Gu, Q. X., & Tang, T. L. P. (2019). Do victims of supervisor bullying suffer from poor creativity? Social cognitive and social comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(3), 865–884.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., & Deaton, A. (2010). High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(38), 16489–16493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanagy, C. L., & Willits, F. K. (1993). A “greening” of religion? Some evidence from a Pennsylvania sample. Social Science Quarterly, 74(3), 674–683.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, J. (2007, October 25). Humanity is putting earth, and itself, at risk, UN environment report says. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/health/25iht-25environ.4.8054823.html

  • Kasser, T. (2002). The high price of materialism. The MIT Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kearns, L. (1996). Saving the creation: Christian environmentalism in the United States. Sociology of Religion, 57(1), 55–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearns, L. (1997). Noah’s ark goes to Washington: A profile of evangelical environmentalism. Social Compass, 44(3), 349–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kish-Gephart, J. J., Harrison, D. A., & Treviño, L. K. (2010). Bad apples, bad cases, and bad barrels: Meta-analytic evidence about sources of unethical decisions at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koole, S. L., Meijer, M., & Remmers, C. (2016). Religious rituals as tools for adaptive self-regulation. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 6, 28–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, A., Page, J. K., & Spalt, O. G. (2011). Religious beliefs, gambling attitudes, and financial market outcomes. Journal of Financial Economics, 102(3), 671–708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvaløy, B., Finseraas, H., & Listhaug, O. (2012). The publics’ concern for global warming: A cross-national study of 47 countries. Journal of Peace Research, 49(1), 11–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei, J. F. (2010). The Mainland and Hong Kong YMCA jointly launched a “2010 Focus on Global Warming and Environmental Protection Seminar” in Wuhan. Religion, 4, 36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lemrová, S., Reiterová, E., Fatěnová, R., Lemr, K., & Tang, T. L. P. (2014). Money is power: Monetary intelligence—love of money and temptation of materialism among Czech university students. Journal of Business Ethics, 125, 329–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z. (2018, May 23). A list of environmental protection activities carried out by churches around the country. The Gospel Times. Retrieved from https://gospeltimes.cn/portal/article/index/id/44942b?btwaf=61984418

  • Li, Y. Y. (2015). Folk religious beliefs and their ecological and ethical values in Luochuan plateau. Study of World Religions, 4, 87–94.

  • Lieflander, A. K., & Bogner, F. X. (2014). The effects of children’s age and sex on acquiring pro-environmental attitudes through environmental education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 45(2), 105–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, B. (2008). On the environmental protection function of Taoist temple. China Taoism, 2, 53–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, L. (2007). An analysis of the ecological view of Islam. Arab World Studies, 5, 61–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longenecker, J. G., McKinney, J. A., & Moore, C. W. (2004). Religious intensity, evangelical Christianity, and business ethics: An empirical study. Journal of Business Ethics, 55(4), 371–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luna-Arocas, R., & Tang, T. L. P. (2015). Are you satisfied with your pay when you compare? It depends on your love of money, pay comparison standards, and culture. Journal of Business Ethics, 128, 279–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, L., Wang, X., & Zhang, C. (2019). Does religion shape corporate cost behavior? Journal of Business Ethics. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04377-4

  • Ma, R. Q. (2011). Environmental protection concepts of Islam. Chinese Muslims, 2, 37–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Tarakeshwar, N., & Swank, A. B. (2008). Religion in the home in the 1980s and 1990s: A meta-analytic review and conceptual analysis of links between religion, marriage, and parenting. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1, 63–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). ‘Implicit’ and ‘explicit’ CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 404–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2020). Reflections on the 2018 decade award: The meaning and dynamics of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 45(1), 7–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCalman, C. (2018). Nuclear heresy: Environmentalism as implicit religion. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Sheffield.

  • McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 69–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, S. T., Omer, T. C., & Sharp, N. Y. (2012). The impact of religion on financial reporting irregularities. The Accounting Review, 87(2), 645–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao, F. (2006). Contemporary human Buddhism focusing on “Spiritual environmental protection”: Analysis of Master Sheng Yan’s human Buddhism thought. Religious Studies, 1, 175–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. S. (2000). Going to hell in Asia: The relationship between risk and religion in a cross-cultural setting. Review of Religious Research, 42(1), 5–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. S., & Hoffmann, J. P. (1995). Risk and religion: An explanation of gender differences in religiosity. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 34(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minton, E. A., Kahleb, L. R., & Kimc, C. H. (2015). Religion and motives for sustainable behaviors: A cross-cultural comparison and contrast. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), 1937–1944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullen, B., & Copper, C. (1994). The relation between group cohesiveness and performance: An integration. Psychological Bulletin, 115(2), 210–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (NRC). (2006). Surface temperature reconstructions for the last 2,000 years. National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nerem, R. S., Beckley, B. D., Fasullo, J. T., Hamlington, B. D., Masters, D., & Mitchum, G. T. (2018). Climate-change–driven accelerated sea-level rise detected in the altimeter era. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115, 2022–2025.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norton, M. I., & Gino, F. (2014). Rituals alleviate grieving for loved ones, lovers, and lotteries. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 143(1), 266–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Özbay, Ö., & Özcan, Y. Z. (2006). A test of Hirschi’s social bonding theory juvenile delinquency in the high schools of Ankara. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50(6), 711–726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, M. (2017). The ecological wisdom and environmental protection practices of Taoism. China Taoism, 3, 25–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pammett, J. H. (2015). Faith that science will solve environmental problems: Does it hurt or help? Environmental Politics, 24(4), 553–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parboteeah, K. P., Hoegl, M., & Cullen, J. B. (2003). Social institutions and sanctioned behaviors: A cross-national study. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 44(3), 239–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parboteeah, K. P., Paik, Y., & Cullen, J. B. (2009). Religious groups and work values: A focus on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 9(1), 51–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parboteeah, K. P., Walter, S. G., & Block, J. H. (2015). When does Christian religion matter for entrepreneurial activity? The contingent effect of a country’s investments into knowledge. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(2), 447–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, J. M. (2022). Human resource management: An applied approach. Chicago Business Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). Strategy and society. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reuter, T. A. (2015). The green revolution in the world’s religions: Indonesian examples in international comparison. Religions, 6(4), 1217–1231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richins, M. L. (1987). Media, materialism, and human happiness. In J. Wallendrof & P. Anderson (Eds.), Advances in Consumer Research (Vol. 14, pp. 352–356). Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruan, R. P., Zheng, F. T., & Liu, L. (2014). Religious believing and social conflict: Origin or instrument. China Economic Quarterly, 13, 793–816.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, P. W., Zelezny, L., & Dalrymple, N. J. (2000). A multinational perspective on the relation between Judeo-Christian religious beliefs and attitudes of environmental concern. Environment & Behavior, 32(4), 576–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherkat, D. E., & Ellison, C. G. (2007). Structuring the religion-environment connection: Identifying religious influences on environmental concern and activism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 46(1), 71–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, S. X., & Gan, C. Y. (2017). Environmental job satisfaction, environmental knowledge and public environmental protection behavior—Based on CGSS2013 data analysis. Soft Science, 11, 88–92. https://doi.org/10.13956/j.ss.1001-8409.2017.11.20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shmueli, A., & Tamir, D. (2007). Health behavior and religiosity among Israeli Jews. The Israel Medical Association Journal, 9(10), 703–707.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shu, T., Sulaeman, J., & Yeung, P. E. (2012). Local religious beliefs and mutual fund risk-taking behaviors. Management Science, 58(10), 1779–1796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shuo, Y. S., Ryan, C., & Liu, G. (2009). Taoism, temples and tourists: The case of Mazu pilgrimage tourism. Tourism Management, 30(4), 581–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S. J., Lee, D. J., Nisius, A. M., & Yu, G. B. (2013). The influence of love of money and religiosity on ethical decision-making in marketing. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(1), 183–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, R. V., & Tang, T. L. P. (2022). The Matthew Effect in talent management strategy: Reducing exhaustion, increasing satisfaction, and inspiring commission among boundary spanning employees. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 37(3), 477–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stackhouse, M. (2007). God and globalization: globalization and grace (Vol. 4). New York: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • State of Global Air/2019 (2019). State of Global Air/2019: A special report on global exposure to air pollution and its disease burden. Retrieved from https://www.stateofglobalair.org/sites/default/files/soga_2019_report.pdf

  • Swanwick, C. (2009). Society’s attitudes to and preferences for land and landscape. Land Use Policy, 26(Suppl. 1), S62–S75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swearer, D. K. (2006). An assessment of Buddhist eco-philosophy. The Harvard Theological Review, 99(2), 123–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (1992). The meaning of money revisited. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 197–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (1993). The meaning of money: Extension and exploration of the money ethic scale in a sample of university students in Taiwan. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(1), 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2010a). From increasing gas efficiency to enhancing creativity: It pays to go green. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(2), 149–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2010b). Money, the meaning of money, management, spirituality, and religion. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 7(2), 173–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2012). Detecting honest people’s lies in handwriting: The power of the Ten Commandments and internalized ethical values. Journal of Business Ethics, 106(4), 389–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2016). Theory of Monetary Intelligence: Money attitudes—religious values, making money, making ethical decisions, and making the grade. Journal of Business Ethics, 133, 583–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2020). Monetary wisdom: A measure of attitude toward money—constructs and items. In D. Poff & A. Michalos (Eds.), Encyclopedia of business and professional ethics. Basel, Switzerland: Springer, Cham.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2020b). Monetary wisdom: From the Holy Bible to a management theory. In G. R. Ferris, P. L. Perrewé, & A. Akande (Eds.), The global nature of organization phenomena (pp. 149–170). Nova Science Publishers in Conjunction with Springers Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P. (2021). The Matthew Effect in monetary wisdom. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 10, 153–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., & Baumeister, R. F. (1984). Effects of personal values, perceived surveillance, and task labels on task preference: The ideology of turning play into work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 99–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., & West, W. B. (1997). The importance of human needs during peacetime, retrospective peacetime, and the Persian Gulf War. International Journal of Stress Management, 4(1), 47–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., & Chiu, R. K. (2003). Income, money ethic, pay satisfaction, commitment, and unethical behavior: Is the love of money the root of evil for Hong Kong employees? Journal of Business Ethics, 46(1), 13–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., & Chen, Y. J. (2008). Intelligence vs. wisdom: The love of money, Machiavellianism, and unethical behavior across college major and gender. Journal of Business Ethics, 82, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., & Tang, T. L. N. (2010). Finding the lost sheep: A panel study of business students’ intrinsic religiosity, Machiavellianism, and unethical behavior intention in a public institution. Ethics & Behavior, 20(5), 352–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., Ibrahim, A. H. S., & West, W. B. (2002). Effects of war-related stress on the satisfaction of human needs: The United States and the Middle East. International Journal of Management Theory and Practices, 3(1), 35–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., Sutarso, T., Davis, G. M. T., Dolinski, D., Ibrahim, A. H. S., & Wagner, S. L. (2008). To help or not to help? The Good Samaritan Effect and the love of money on helping behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(4), 865–887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, N. Y., Chen, J. Q., Zhang, K. L., & Tang, T. L. P. (2018). Monetary wisdom: How do investors use love of money to frame stock volatility and enhance stock happiness? Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(6), 1831–1862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., Sutarso, T., Ansari, M. A., Lim, V. K. G., Teo, T. S. H., Arias-Galicia, F., et al. (2018a). Monetary intelligence and behavioral economics across 32 cultures: Good apples enjoy good quality of life in good barrels. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(4), 893–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., Sutarso, T., Ansari, M. A., Lim, V. K. G., Teo, T. S. H., Arias-Galicia, F., et al. (2018b). Monetary intelligence and behavioral economics: The Enron effect—Love of money, corporate ethical values, Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), and dishonesty across 31 geopolitical entities. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(4), 919–937.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, T. L. P., Li, Z., Özbek, M. F., Vlerick, P., Lim, V. G. G., Teo, T. S. H., et al. (2019, March 7–9). Corruption visualization: Aspiration and satisfaction on corruption across 32 countries in 3 levels of transparency (corruption perceptions index). Paper presented at the International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS), Paris, France.

  • Tang, N.Y., Chen, J., Li, Z., & Tang, T. L. P. (2022). How do investors achieve sustainable happiness, and why? Monetary wisdom—low aspiration, external control, and country domicile—China’s emerging markets. Working paper.

  • Thathong, K. (2012). A spiritual dimension and environmental education: Buddhism and environmental crisis. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 5063–5068.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2015). Transforming our World: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld (accessed Jan 1, 2020.

  • Vala, C., & Huang, J. (2019). Online and offline religion in China: A Protestant WeChat “Alter-Public” through the Bible handcopying movement. Religions, 10(10), 561. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10100561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Buren, H. J. (2005). Care for people and creation: The role of US Christian institutional shareholder activists in extractive-industry CSR. Greener Management International, 52, 77–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Buren, H. J., & Greenwood, M. (2013). The Genesis of employment ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 117(4), 707–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Buren, H. J., Syed, J., & Mir, R. (2019). Religion as a macro social force affecting business: Concepts, questions, and future research. Business & Society, 3, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitell, S. J., Paolillo, J. G. P., & Singh, J. J. (2006). The role of money and religiosity in determining consumers’ ethical beliefs. Journal of Business Ethics, 64(2), 117–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitell, S. J., Singh, J. J., & Paolillo, J. G. P. (2007). Consumers’ ethical beliefs: The roles of money, religiosity and attitude toward business. Journal of Business Ethics, 73(4), 369–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vohs, K. D., Mead, N. L., & Goode, M. R. (2006). The psychological consequences of money. Science, 314(5802), 1154–1156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, B., Wang, Y., & Ma, J. Z. (2006). A comparative study of ecological awareness and environmental protection practices in Buddhist and Taoist cultures. Life Science Research, 3, 10–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Chen, Z., & Krumhuber, E. G. (2020). Money: An integrated review and synthesis from a psychological perspective. Review of General Psychology, 24(2), 172–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, G. R., & Agle, B. R. (2002). Religiosity and ethical behavior in organizations: A symbolic interactionist perspective. Academy of Management Review, 27(1), 77–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, L. (1967). The historical roots of our ecological crisis. Science, 155(3767), 1203–1207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, C. (2002). On the social function of Mazu belief. Journal of the Party School of Fujian Province Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, 1, 67–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, Z. (2003). Harmonious symbiosis between man and nature-Taoist conception of environmental protection. Chinese Religion, 9, 42–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, X. (2014). Is environment ‘a city thing’ in China? Rural-urban differences in environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 39–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zajonc, R. B. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149(3681), 269–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zarzycka, B., Liszewski, T., & Marzel, M. (2019). Religion and behavioral procrastination: Mediating effects of locus of control and content of prayer. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00251-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zelezny, L. C., Chua, P. P., & Aldrich, C. (2000). Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 443–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y. (2013). Thinking on the ecological ethics consciousness of Tibetan folk religion in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Qinghai Nationalities Research, 3, 103–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, H., & Yu, L. (2007). Geographical characteristics of Mazu belief distribution. Journal of Fujian Normal University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 143, 19–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, W., & Huang, G. (2017). Chinese ecological discourse: A Confucian-Daoist inquiry. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 12, 272–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Z. C., Luo, B. N. F., & Tang, T. L. P. (2018). Corporate social responsibility excites “exponential” employee attitudes: The Matthew Effect in CSR and sustainable policy. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25, 339–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Editor Harry Van Buren III and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and insightful suggestions; Sidney A. McPhee and Yanlin Zhao for establishing the MTSU-GXU exchange program; Fr. John Sims Baker for his inspiration; and Taylor Timmons, Ayman M. Alkhabbaz, Hadeel A. Al Fadhli, and Alex Sherrod for their assistance. The first author completed this research as a visiting scholar at MTSU (2019–2020).

Funding

The first author thanked the China Scholarship Council (#201806665007) for financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yalin Mo or Thomas Li-Ping Tang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

We employed secondary data (Renmin University of China’s 2013 Chinese General Social Survey, CGSS 2013) for this research.

Informed Consent

There was no informed consent for this research.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mo, Y., Zhao, J. & Tang, T.LP. Religious Beliefs Inspire Sustainable HOPE (Help Ourselves Protect the Environment): Culture, Religion, Dogma, and Liturgy—The Matthew Effect in Religious Social Responsibility. J Bus Ethics 184, 665–685 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05131-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05131-z

Keywords

Navigation