Characterizing individuals' moral transgressions and their associations with religion

Introduction: While many facets of morality have been extensively studied, relatively little is known about how individuals experience their own moral transgressions or the degree to which these violations are interpreted through a religious lens. Method: To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional national survey of 604 U.S. adults who reported belief in God or gods. Participants were randomized to receive one of three prompts asking them to describe a moral transgression they had committed. They then rated how egregious they perceived the act to be, the extent to which they considered it a sin, and whether they sought divine forgiveness. Participants also completed measures of belief in God and demographics. Using a mixed-methods approach, we conducted thematic analysis to categorize transgressions. Results: Of the 14 identified themes, the most common were deception/lying (28.5%), theft/stealing (19.0%), and infidelity (9.3%). Quantitative analyses revealed that transgressions involving infidelity were rated as more egregious and more sinful than other types. Perceived egregiousness was positively associated with perceptions of sinfulness, seeking divine forgiveness, and strength of belief in God. A path analysis indicated that belief in God was indirectly related to seeking divine forgiveness through appraisals of the transgression as sinful. Furthermore, prompts framed in religious terms heightened the likelihood that participants labeled their actions as sinful. Discussion: These findings suggest that people often interpret moral violations within a religious framework, particularly when they perceive the violations as severe. Seeking divine forgiveness appears to be shaped by both personal religious belief and contextual cues highlighting the moral and spiritual dimensions of transgression.