Abstract
While numerous scholars have examined the relationship between individuals’ Christian religiosity and their support for the death penalty, empirical tests of this relationship show mixed results. In this paper, I argue that past empirical inconsistencies may be due to measurement error in the religious variables and dependent variable. Using the Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics, I test the effects of individuals’ religious belonging, beliefs, and behaviors on their preference for replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life without parole. I find that Roman Catholic affiliation, Biblical literalism, and more frequent practice of religious behaviors affect support for LWOP vs. the death penalty, although the effect of Catholic affiliation differs across levels of religious behavior and political ideology.