Universal monotheism introduced individual free choice and collective humanity as new concepts

Evidence

Universal monotheisms created two new concepts in human thought: individual free choice and collective humanity. People not born into these religions could, in principle, choose to belong (or remain outside) without regard to ethnicity, tribe or territory. The mission of these religions was to extend moral salvation to all peoples, whether they liked it or not. Secularized by the European Enlightenment, the great quasi-religious isms of modern history—colonialism, socialism, anarchism, fascism, communism, democratic liberalism and accompanying forms of messianic atheism—have all tried to harness industry and science to continue on a global scale the Stone Age human imperative “cooperate to compete” (against the other isms, that is). These great secular isms, often relying on the science of the day to justify their moral values, have produced both massive killing to save the mass of humanity as well as great progress in human rights. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 563

Categorization

• XREF: The Christian-invented ‘free choice and collective humanity’ framing maps onto Baumard et al.’s partner-choice religious evolution and the reader’s apostasy analysis — voluntary identity choice is the precondition for its own public destruction via the fumi-e. — connects to: Philosophy realizes the subjective freedom that Christian religion first disclosed. — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 616
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 563