The literature on volunteerism is voluminous, yet there is very little that examines the relationship between religious belief or observance and volunteerism. Religious belief may relate to an individual's decision to engage in volunteer activity. Religious observance may lead to organized volunteer activities that have a systemic impact on the community. Yet both are inadequately studied. The purpose of this article is to explore the link between religious beliefs and volunteerism and to shed light on the impact of religious observance on volunteering.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abdennur, A.
(1987). The conflict resolution syndrome: Volunteerism, violence, and beyond. Ottawa, Canada: University of Ottawa Press.
2.
Adams, D. S.
(1987). Ronald Reagan's "revival": Voluntarism as a theme in Reagan's civil religion. Sociological Analysis, 48, 17-29.
3.
Allen, N.
, & Rushton,J. P. (1983). Personality characteristics of community mental health volunteers: A review. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 12(1), 36-49.
4.
Anderson, J. C.
, & Moore, L. F. (1974). The motivation to volunteer. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 3(2), 120-125.
5.
Benson, P. L.
, Dehority, J., Garman, L., Hanson, E., Hochschwender, M., Lebold, C., Rohr, R., & Sullivan, J. (1980). Intrapersonal correlates of non-spontaneous helping behavior. Journal of Social Psychology, 110,87-95.
6.
Bernt, F. M.
(1989). Being religious and being altruistic: A study of college service volunteers. Personality and Individual Differences, 10,663-669.
7.
Brooks, A. E.
(1980). Profile of the church-related volunteer. Washington, DC: International Liaison, U.S. Catholic Coordinating Center for Lay Volunteer Ministries.
8.
Cnaan, R. A.
, & Cwikel, J. (in press). Elderly volunteers: Assessing their potential as an untapped resource. Journal of Aging and Social Policy.
9.
Cnaan, R. A.
, & Goldberg-Glen, R. S. (1991). Motivation to volunteer in human services. Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences, 27(3), 267-283.
10.
de Schweinitz, K.
(1943). England's road to social security. New York: Barnes.
11.
Doll, W.
(1984). Cooperation in Cleveland. Foundation News, 5, 66-70.
12.
Filinson, R.
(1988). A model for church-based services for frail and elderly persons and their families. Gerontologist, 28(4), 483-486.
13.
Finke, R.
(1989). Demographics of religious participation: An ecological approach, 1850-1980. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 45-58.
14.
Gerard, D.
(1985). Values and voluntary work. In M. Abrams, D. Gerard, & N. Timms (Eds.), Values and social change in Britain (pp. 201-226). London: Macmillan.
15.
Gillespie, D. F.
, & King, A.E.O. (1985). Demographic understanding of volunteerism. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 12, 798-816.
16.
Graham, G.
(1990). The idea of Christian charity. South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
17.
Hall, P. D.
(1990). The history of religious philanthropy in America. In R. Wuthnow, V. A. Hodgkinson, & Associates, Faith and philanthropy in America: Exploring the role of religion in America's voluntary sector (pp. 38-62). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
18.
Hayghe, H. V.
(1990). Volunteers in the U.S.: Who donates the time?Monthly Labor Review, 114(2), 17-23.
19.
Hendrickson, S. L.
(1987). Churches as geriatrics health clinics for community-based elderly. Journal of Religion and Aging, 12(4), 13-24.
20.
Herberg, W.
(1983). Protestant, Catholic, Jew: An essay in American religious sociology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
21.
Hodgkinson, V. A.
(1990). The future of individual giving and volunteering: The inseparable link between religious community and individual generosity. In R. Wuthnow, V. A. Hodgkinson, & Associates, Faith and philanthropy in America: Exploring the role of religion in America's voluntary sector (pp. 284-312). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
22.
Hodgkinson, V. A.
, Weitzman, M., & Kirsh, A. (1988). From belief to commitment: The activities of religious congregations in the United States. Findings from a national survey. Washington, DC: INDEPENDENT SECTOR.
23.
Hoge, D. R.
(1972). A validated intrinsic religious motivation scale. Journalfor the Scientific Study of Religion, 11, 136-376.
24.
Howarth, E.
(1976). Personality characteristics of volunteers. Psychological Reports, 38, 855-858.
25.
Hunter, K. I.
, & Linn, M. W. (1980-1981). Psychosocial differences between elderly volunteers and non-volunteers. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 12(3), 205-213.
26.
Kivett, V. R.
, Watson, J. A., & Bush, J. C. (1977). The relative importance of physical, psychological, and social variables to locus of control orientation in middle life. Journal of Gerontology, 32, 203-210.
27.
Knapp, R. H.
, & Holzberg,J. D. (1964). Characteristics of college students volunteering for service to mental patients. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 28, 82-85.
28.
Kratcoski, P. C.
, & Crittenden, S. (1982). Criminal justice volunteerism: A comparison of adult and juvenile agency volunteers. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services, and Rehabilitation, 7(2), 5-14.
29.
La Barbera, P. A.
(1991). Commercial ventures of religious organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 1, 217-234.
30.
Lubove, R.
(1965). The professional altruist. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
31.
McDonald, J. A.
(1984). Survey finds religious groups strongly favor more collaboration. Foundation News, 5, 20-24.
32.
Maguire, G. H.
(1985). A course to train church volunteers to interact with the aged, ill, and handicapped. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 4(1), 45-51.
33.
Mangen, D. J.
, & Peterson, W. A. (1982). Social roles and social participation (Vol. 2). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
34.
Moberg, D. O.
(1983). Compartmentalization and parochialism in religious and voluntary action research. Review of Religious Research, 24, 318-321.
35.
Myrom, D. B. (1976). Why persons volunteer: Theological and sociological factors motivating persons who volunteer to serve in the New England Synod, Lutheran Church in America. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Boston University.
36.
Negstead, J.
, & Arnholt, R. (1986). Day centers for older adults: Parish and agency partnership. Journal of Religion and Aging, 4, 25-33.
37.
O'Neill, M.
(1989). The third America: The emergence of the nonprofit sector in the United States. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
38.
Plante, T. G.
, & Davids, A. (1982). Personality and performance characteristics of samaritan suicide prevention volunteers. Crisis Intervention, 12, 115-127.
39.
Rohs, F. R.
(1986). Social background, personality, and attitudinal factors influencing the decision to volunteer and level of involvement among adult 4-H leaders. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 15(1), 87-99.
40.
Serow, R. C.
(1989). Community service, religious commitment, and campus climate. Youth and Society, 21(1), 105-119.
41.
Shelp, E. E.
, DuBose, E. R., & Sunderland, R. H. (1990). The infrastructure of religious communities: A neglected resource for care of people with AIDS. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 970-972.
42.
Smith, B.M.M.
, & Nelson, L. D. (1975). Personality correlates of helping behavior. Psychological Reports, 37, 307-310.
43.
Smith, D. H.
(1984). Churches are generally ignored in contemporary voluntary action research. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 13(4), 11-18.
44.
Tapp, J. T.
, & Spanier, D. (1973). Personal characteristics of volunteer phone counselors. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41(2), 245-250.
45.
Walsh, E. M. (1986). Volunteerism among the elderly: A secondary analysis of a national survey. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Fordham University, New York.
46.
Watson, P. J.
, Howard, R., Hood, R. W., & Morris, R. J. (1988). Age and religious orientation. Review of Religious Research, 29, 271-280.
47.
Wineburg, C. R.
, & Wineburg, R. J. (1987). Local human service development: Institutional utilization of volunteers to solve community problems. Journal of Volunteer Administration, 4, 9-14.
48.
Wineburg, R. J.
(1990-1991). A community study on the ways religious congregations support individuals and human service network. Journal of Applied Social Sciences, 15(1), 51-74.
49.
Wuthnow, R.
(1990). Religion and the voluntary spirit in the United States: Mapping the terrain. In R. Wuthnow, V. A. Hodgkinson, & Associates, Faith and philanthropy in America: Exploring the role of religion in America's voluntary sector (pp. 3-21). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
50.
Wuthnow, R.
(1991). Acts of compassion: Caring for others and helping ourselves. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.