Religions succeed by offering greater comfort against existential threats

Evidence

It could be that a disturbing but predictable world is still more comforting than a chaotic, senseless one. Moreover, not all religions are equally good at soothing these anxieties. It is likely that religions that succeed, all else being equal, offer even greater succor in the face of these, as well as other, graver threats. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 619

Categorization

• XREF: Feeds the competitive-selection angle on the Big God mechanism — why punishing deities crowd out purely benevolent ones in the religious marketplace.