Abstract

This study explores the ability of variations in the natural environment to predict variations in the religious-ethical views espoused by different cultural groups. Drawing from the theoretical perspectives of William James and Max Weber, it was hypothesized that societies with environmental conditions of potentially life-jeopardizing water scarcity would be significantly more likely to show an elective affinity for a morally concerned Supreme Deity in order to promote the prosocial use of natural resources and contribute to societal survival. To test this hypothesis, a worldwide survey was conducted by using the 186 cultural groups in the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample. After the influence of missionization was controlled for, the findings confirmed that in societies with a marginally sufficient water supply, a Supreme Deity was significantly more likely to be understood as concerned with, and supportive of, human morality. In contrast, in societies in which water was abundant, the Supreme Deity typically was not concerned with the morality of human behavior. These findings have implications for developing more fruitful understandings of religious environmental ethics.