Introduction
The Humanistic Morality and Liberal Belief Scale (HMLBS) is a 16-item research measure of liberal religious belief and permissive, relativistic morality, made up of the Liberal Belief Scale and the Humanistic Morality Scale. Eystein Kaldestad developed the scales in Norway and described them in 1992, with slightly revised versions in 1993.
The scales capture the shift toward more liberal religious views and relativistic morality seen in Norway after World War II, which traditional scales did not capture well. This guide explains the two subscales, scoring and evidence.
Key Features of the Humanistic Morality and Liberal Belief Scale (HMLBS)
Purpose and Use
The HMLBS was designed mainly as a research instrument to study the relationship between religiosity, personality and mental health.
Liberal Belief Scale: a liberal theological perspective, such as non-literal reading of the Bible, skepticism toward traditional ideas about the end times, and belief in universal reconciliation.Humanistic Morality Scale: a permissive and relativistic moral orientation, emphasizing practical love of one's neighbor, personal values based on life experience, and preventing harm over strict religious rules.Target Population
The HMLBS is intended for adults aged 18 and older. It was developed for Lutheran and other Protestant samples in Norway, where 92% of the population were at least nominal members of the Norwegian Lutheran State Church at the time.
Structure
The HMLBS has 16 items, with 8 items in each subscale. Every item is a positive statement of a liberal perspective and assesses attitudes rather than factual knowledge.
The Liberal Belief Scale draws on Andrew Weigert's description of liberal and fundamentalist types of Christian eschatology.The Humanistic Morality Scale expresses the more permissive and relativistic morality that emerged in Norway after World War II.Scoring Method
Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) through 3 (do not know) to 5 (strongly agree).
Subscale scores: the mean rating of the eight items in each subscale.Higher scores indicate stronger liberal beliefs or a more humanistic moral orientation. The two subscales correlate about 0.70, sharing about half their variance, so researchers could consider combining them into a single liberalism scale. No formal cut-off scores have been established.
Administration Format
The HMLBS is a self-report questionnaire.
Applications of the Humanistic Morality and Liberal Belief Scale (HMLBS)
The HMLBS supports several uses:
Psychology of religion: measuring liberal theological and moral attitudes.Mental health research: studying links between religiosity, personality and mental health.Cross-cultural research: the scales are available in English and should be usable in other countries.Languages and availability
The scales were developed in Norway and are available in English translation. The 1992 article appears in the Journal of Empirical Theology (Brill).
Reliability and Validity
The final 8-item Humanistic Morality Scale reached satisfactory reliability, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.72 to 0.80. Validity is supported by correlations with established measures:
Batson and Ventis's Doctrinal Orthodoxy Scale: -0.59 with the Liberal Belief ScaleWoodrum's Moral Conservatism Index: -0.48 with the Liberal Belief Scale and -0.50 with the Humanistic Morality ScaleValidation studies:
Kaldestad (1992), Journal of Empirical Theology: study linkStandardizing measures of religiosity for Norwegians (1993): study linkLimitations and Considerations
Keep these points in mind:
Cultural origin: the scales were developed in Norwegian Lutheran samples, so consider this when using them in other populations.Overlap: the two subscales correlate about 0.70.No cut-offs: no formal or standardized cut-off scores exist.Limited citations: the scales have been cited in relatively few studies.Other Versions And Related Questionnaires
The first Humanistic Morality Scale had only 5 items, but its reliability was poor (Cronbach's alpha 0.34), so it was expanded to the final 8-item version. The Liberal Belief Scale has always had 8 items.
These questionnaires are related:
Batson and Ventis's Doctrinal Orthodoxy ScaleWoodrum's Moral Conservatism IndexAllport-Ross Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religious Orientation ScalesBatson's Quest ScaleAdditional Resources
The Humanistic Morality Scale PsycTESTS record: linkThe developer's affiliation at the time of publication was Modum Bads Nervesanatorium, N-3371 Vikersund, Norway.Browse more psychology questionnaires in the ResRef database.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does the Humanistic Morality and Liberal Belief Scale measure?The Liberal Belief Scale measures a liberal theological perspective, such as non-literal reading of the Bible and belief in universal reconciliation. Its companion Humanistic Morality Scale measures permissive, relativistic morality.
How is the HMLBS scored?Each item is rated from 1 (strongly disagree) through 3 (do not know) to 5 (strongly agree). Each subscale score is the mean of its eight items, and higher scores mean more liberal views.
Can the two subscales be combined?The subscales correlate about 0.70 and share about half of their variance, so researchers could consider combining them into a single liberalism scale.
Where was the HMLBS developed?Eystein Kaldestad developed the scales in Norway for Lutheran and other Protestant samples. They are available in English translation and should also be usable in other countries.
A Word from ResRef About the Humanistic Morality and Liberal Belief Scale (HMLBS)
The Humanistic Morality / Liberal Belief Scale stands as a notable example of a culturally specific research instrument developed to capture nuanced religious and moral attitudes within a particular historical and geographical context. Its development reflects the broader secularization trends observed in post-World War II Norway and gives researchers a tool to assess liberal theological perspectives and relativistic moral orientations that traditional scales failed to capture adequately. With Cronbach's alphas from 0.72 to 0.80, the scale shows sufficient reliability for research purposes, and its validation against established measures such as the Doctrinal Orthodoxy Scale and Moral Conservatism Index provides meaningful benchmarks for interpreting scores. Researchers should note the scale's Norwegian Lutheran origins when applying it to other populations, though the English translation expands its potential use in cross-cultural research in the psychology of religion.
References
Kaldestad, E. (1992). Humanistic Morality Scale. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/t04369-000Kaldestad, E., & Stifoss-Hanssen, H. (1993). Standardizing Measures of Religiosity for Norwegians. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 3(2), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr0302_5