Religious solidarity arises from a cluster of synchrony, self-control, and Big-God mechanisms

Evidence

This cluster of mechanisms—synchronous movement and music, self-regulation, and fictive kinship, together with credible displays of faith in Big Gods who monitor and intervene, can be seen as the ingredients of religious solidarity and the creation of prosocial religions as communities that extends the boundaries of moral concern beyond genetic relatives and reciprocating partners to complete strangers. In the next two chapters, I explain how this potent mix, packaged together by the rapid forces of cultural evolution, gave prosocial religious groups a competitive edge in the harsh race for cultural survival. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 386

Categorization

• XREF: This synthesis of mechanisms (synchronous ritual, self-regulation, fictive kin, credible Big-God faith) is exactly the causal framework the reader will test against the fumi-e/trampling scenario in the novel. — connects to: Consensus governance across diverse Tribes held together by a shared spiritual foundation — Luke W. Cole and Sheila R. Foster, From the Ground Up: Environmental…, 627; Religion dominates communal conflict because it offers the broadest external support; Religious membership correlates with well-being, health, trust, and cooperation.