Witnessing extravagant religious displays causes cultural contagion of belief

Evidence

The CRED framework predicts that witnessing extravagant religious displays causes cultural contagion of religious beliefs. For example, consider a situation where people observe someone perform an act of sacrifice to, say, Shiva. Observers who witness this act would increase the tendency to be persuaded by the potency of Shiva as a god, and as a result, they would feel greater commitment to Shiva. In short, CREDs have the power to induce greater belief and commitment among observers. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 344

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s stated analytical project: Rodrigues’ faith under the gaze of the Japanese — CREDs as a mechanism the Japanese authorities invert by forcing public trampling.
• DEFINE: Defines CREDs (credibility-enhancing displays) as displays that induce belief through observation.