The Relations Between Religious Attitudes, Paranormal Beliefs and Critical Thinking Disposition: A Study Among Undergraduate Students

The relationship between religiosity and paranormal beliefs has been the subject of scientific research, particularly since the 1970s. Researchers often ask the fundamental question: Why do people hold paranormal beliefs? A common view is that these beliefs serve a psychological function by fulfilling individuals' emotional, motivational, social, and spiritual needs. However, it has been assumed that critical thinking skills, developed through education, would create a negative correlation with both religious and supernatural beliefs. Yet, insignificant results from studies, or positive findings contrary to expectations, indicate that the relationship between religiosity, paranormal beliefs, and critical thinking is not as straightforward or one-dimensional as previously thought. This study investigated the relationships between religious attitudes, paranormal beliefs, and critical thinking tendencies, aiming to understand the variables involved. It employed a quantitative design using a relational survey method. The sample comprised 626 volunteer participants from the faculties of theology, education, and health sciences/medicine at Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Dokuz Eyl University. Data collection involved a personal information form to capture demographic characteristics, along with a field survey utilizing the Ok-Religious Attitude Scale, Paranormal Belief Scale, and Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics-26, employing correlation analysis and simple linear regression to assess the relationships between variables. The study found a significant positive relationship between religious attitude and paranormal belief (r=0.418; p=0.000), with religious attitude accounting for approximately 17% of the variance in paranormal belief (Adjusted R2=0.173). These findings reveal that religious attitude is an important factor supporting paranormal belief. No significant relationship was found between religious attitude and critical thinking disposition, with religious attitude accounting for approximately 1% of the variance in critical thinking disposition (Adjusted R2=0.003). There was a low level negative relationship between critical thinking disposition and paranormal belief (r=-0.111, p<0.05). Critical thinking disposition explains approximately 1% of the change in paranormal belief (Adjusted R2=0.009). In this context, it can be said that the results are in line with the literature. Based on the research data, it can be stated that religious attitude and paranormal beliefs are considered to be just like religious experiences due to similar human experiences, so there is a high correlation between them. While the negative relationship between critical thinking tendency and paranormal beliefs may be related to the fact that individuals with critical thinking tendency have a skeptical approach, the fact that this rate is quite low is thought-provoking. However, the high tendency of university students towards such paranormal phenomena in the literature indicates that the results are in line with the literature. Finally, these relationships may be due to the differences between the Western social structure and the East. In the Far East, religion and the paranormal are intertwined, but in the West, there are sharp distinctions between these two. Similarly, having a religious attitude in Turkish society may not be an obstacle to critical thinking. However, the diversity in the studies and the emergence of different results reveal the need for new studies. Results with different samples and variables will reveal more accurate approaches to the causes and consequences of these relationships.