Sometimes people use their religion as a means to an end.

Sometimes people use their religion as a means to an end. For King, religion might have been a motivational springboard for seeking greater social equality between people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Most people’s religious lives do not make the news headlines as dramatically as the above two examples. But most people’s lives are involved in or affected by religion or religious issues in one way or another.

This chapter will help you understand the psychological processes that explain how this works.…