Religion endures as a force because it fuses meaning with collective identity.

Evidence

Religion remains a potent source of attitudes, motivation, and behavior because it provides its members with both a coherent meaning system and a collective identity. In this chapter, I will argue that one reason why religion remains such powerful force in individuals’ lives is that it is inherently a social endeavor that provides members with a strong collective identity. To achieve this goal, I will rely on Marilynn Brewer and her colleagues’ extensive work on the importance of the collective in structuring identity and shaping behavior and cognition of individuals. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 889 (#expands, via linked claim)

Religion is unique in this regard, as opposed to alternative collective identities or meaning systems (i.e., ethnic, political, or national), which routinely do not always fulfill both functions in an individual’s life. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 890 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Organized religion was the first great claimant on human attention. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 82; Religion persists because it supplies collective identity, not just beliefs — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 889; Religious collectives outlast political meaning systems and still serve identity needs — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 919 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Religion persists because it supplies collective identity, not just beliefs #expands (0.95) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 889
• Religion uniquely fulfills both meaning-seeking and collective-identity functions at once #expands (0.92) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 890