Across eight studies, we investigated why so many people across different cultures and religious traditions ground morality and God, and why beliefs in God as a supreme moral authority increase in response to perceived injustices in the world. We found consistent correlational evidence that the dispositional need for structure in everyday life is positively related to belief in God as a moral authority (Studies 1, 2, 3a, 3b, and 6), especially among those individuals who are more certain that God is infallible (Studies 3a and 3b). While divine morality was consistently related to the need for structure, beliefs about other possible moral authorities (parents, the U.S. Constitution) were not (Study 2). Using experimental manipulations (Studies 4a, 4b, and 5), we found that grounding morality in God can serve a compensatory function in the face of perceived injustice, such that believing that God is a moral authority increases upon exposure to injustice. This particular supernatural belief may restore impressions of structure and order in the world (Study 5). We discuss the implications of our findings for psychological theories of structure-seeking, how people cope with injustice, and religious and moral beliefs more broadly.

在八项研究中，我们调查了为什么这么多不同文化和宗教传统的人以道德和上帝为基础，以及为什么对上帝作为最高道德权威的信仰随着世界上感知到的不公正而增加。我们发现一致的相关证据表明，日常生活中对结构的性情需求与将上帝作为道德权威的信仰呈正相关（研究 1、2、3a、3b 和 6），尤其是在那些更确定上帝是绝对可靠（研究 3a 和 3b）。虽然神圣的道德始终与结构的需要相关，但对其他可能的道德权威（父母、美国宪法）的信念却不是（研究 2）。使用实验操作（研究 4a、4b 和 5），我们发现，以上帝为基础的道德可以在面对感知到的不公正时起到补偿作用，这样当暴露于不公正时，人们就会更加相信上帝是道德权威。这种特殊的超自然信仰可能会恢复对世界结构和秩序的印象（研究 5）。我们讨论了我们的发现对寻求结构的心理学理论、人们如何应对不公正以及更广泛的宗教和道德信仰的影响。