Public prayer rituals primarily reinforce group identity rather than mere belief.

Evidence

An important issue that both the Iranian and Indian studies raise is that in some cases claims to sacred values may be posturing, perhaps designed to secure a strong bargaining position. One possibility is that in some conflicts— such as that between Muslims and Hindus—one side may adopt a sacred stance reflecting that of the other group; however, such a stance may not be deeply felt or incorporated into the relevant collective identity. This remains an interesting hypothesis in need of testing. — Scott Atran and Jeremy Ginges, Sacred Values and Cultural Conflict, 85 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Beware of preconceptions about communities, whether positive or negative! Religious communities are complex and have many facets. For example, do not make assumptions about free churches from your own experiences with the Catholic Church. Don’t assume you understand a yoga guru group because you’ve taken a yoga class. Don’t judge a community solely on its neat self-promotion, but also don’t judge it solely on critical dropout reports. The experience in a cult-like community often shows certain typical characteristics, but is also individual like a fingerprint. Every case is an individual case. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 558 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Publicly audible prayer symbolises communal unity and provokes rivals when co-located; Everyday ritual etiquette encodes group orientation more than ritual content does. — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 835; Religious ritual participation increases sacred values even on non-religious topics. — Hammad Sheikh and Jeremy Ginges and Alin Coman and Scott Atran, Religion, group threat and sacred values, 29 (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Groups may posture sacred claims that are not deeply held identity commitments #complicates (0.80) — Scott Atran and Jeremy Ginges, Sacred Values and Cultural Conflict, 85
• Each religious community experience is unique and resists generalization #complicates (0.76) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 558