AUTHOR=Paleari Francesca Giorgia , Danioni Francesca Vittoria , Valtulini Valentina , Barni Daniela , Sökmez Aslı Bugay , Eissa Sara , Greenwald Yaakov , Knafo-Noam Ariel , Regalia Camillo 

TITLE=Core facets of divine forgiveness: a study across monotheistic religions

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1646554

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1646554

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=IntroductionAmong the religious factors that significantly contribute to believers’ well-being, research on the personal experience of divine forgiveness (DF) remains in its infancy. The aim of this study was to investigate similarities and differences in the conceptualization of DF, its conditional/unconditional nature, and the understanding of sin across the three main monotheistic religions.MethodsThis was achieved by interviewing theologians (N = 3) through a focus group and having lay believers (N = 229, 63.8% female, Mage = 33.09 years, SD = 13.81) from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism complete a self-report questionnaire.ResultsThe theologians’ and believers’ perspectives revealed that while there are shared aspects across religions (e.g., God’s mercy is greater than His justice), some differences are evident (e.g., the pathways to seek and achieve DF).DiscussionThese findings make a significant contribution to the psychology of religion, shedding light on universal and culturally specific dimensions of this multidimensional phenomenon.