What Makes For Credible Religious Testimony? Exploring Belief And Skepticism About Others' Religious Experiences

This thesis examines the role of testimony in the formation and transmission of religious beliefs, focusing on the factors that influence its perceived credibility. Testimony is vital for sharing and reinforcing beliefs about experiences that cannot be directly tested, as is often the case with religious beliefs. These beliefs are frequently rooted in personal, unusual, or supernatural experiences, making testimony essential for their dissemination. Across four studies, I analyzed narrative features, storyteller characteristics, and listener predispositions to uncover what makes religious testimony compelling. Sensory reactions, perceived similarity to personal experiences, and the level of supernatural belief of perceivers emerged as key predictors of credibility. Honest storytellers and those with greater religious knowledge were viewed as more credible, particularly by highly religious listeners. These findings emphasize the role of core preexisting beliefs and source trustworthiness in shaping how religious testimony is evaluated and transmitted, extending psychological theories of belief formation.