Religious orientations on attitude toward a secular state: Case of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in north regions of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to explore the connections between orientations (Quest, Intrinsic, and Extrinsic) and peoples' attitudes towards a secular state among members of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in the northern regions of Kazakhstan. To achieve this, established scales were used to assess participants' perspectives on secularism and their religious orientations. The article analyses the opinion on the separation of church and state using measures of tendency. There were also calculated Pearson correlation coefficients to understand how religious beliefs interacted with views on governance. The findings indicated that there was an inclination towards secularism among the participants. While some respondents valued the guidance provided by the Church in decisions, others preferred a separation between religious institutions and legislative affairs. However, when examining orientations, none showed a significant influence on attitudes towards a secular state. This highlights the relationship between religious beliefs and societal views on governance. Overall, this study emphasises that while religious orientation provides insights into beliefs, it does not solely determine attitudes towards secularism. It underscores that belief systems are multifaceted and interact intricately with governance perspectives. Future research should focus on uncovering factors that influence these perspectives within and beyond the Evangelical Lutheran Church.