Sin, divine forgiveness, and repentance: Disrupting the psychological path to extremism

Abstract

How does the experience of sinfulness translate into extremist ideologies? In this study, we integrate Significance Quest Theory (SQT) and Goal Systems Theory (GST) to examine sinfulness as a motivational driver for adopting a militant extremist mindset (MEM). We investigate how divine forgiveness-seeking behavior and perceived forgiveness serve as moderators in this process. Using a cross-sectional study (N = 254), we examine how sinfulness and forgiveness-seeking influence perceived forgiveness and how they predict MEM and radical intentions. By using regression and moderated mediation analyses, our results show that forgiveness-seeking and perceived forgiveness both had an effect on the mechanism. Sinfulness predicted both MEM and radical intentions. Sinfulness will lead to radicalism intentions through MEM, particularly in individuals who are high in forgiveness-seeking but low in perceived forgiveness. In contrast, when both forgiveness-seeking and perceived forgiveness were high, the association between MEM and radical intention weakened substantially. These results show that being sinful does not always lead to radicalization; rather, its psychological effects depend on the presence of redemptive alternatives. These findings contribute to the body of research on radicalization by showing that divine forgiveness can act as a motivational buffer that might prevent individuals from becoming fixated on violent goals.