The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual

THE ADAPTIVE VALUE OF RELIGIOUS RITUAL
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The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual
History shows that religion and religious practices have ruled countries and states over the years. It was until the 20th Century that science has tried to take minds of people but even then, religion still dominates. There are many practices and religions in the world today, some are extreme, painful, and demoralizing yet evolved human beings still participate in them. Many religious practices are strange to an outsider and many people who adhere to these religious rules differentiate themselves physically from the rest of the population. Whereas some practices people wear apparels, other practices allow for surgical incisions on the bodies of its adherents (Steve 2006:21).
Some allow shaving of heads such as the moonies, Muslim women wear clothes that cover them, Native American such as the Apache boys bathe in ice cold water, girls in the Tukuna tribe pluck their hairs out, the Sudanese surgically cut their foreheads, and other native tribes from the continent circumcise their girls. There are diverse practices in the world and some that scientists have not explored and all of them are some form of religious practice. Behavioral sociologist assert that the time people spend using primitive methods for survival, occupy their time and prevent them from pursuing other activities. As a result, these people run to religion for consolation. However, despite scientific rationalism, the theory does not hold ground.
This paper will explore the rationale behind these practices despite science and the move for civilization. It also explores reasons that religious practices, beliefs, and institutions are important to human social life. These practices tend to survive despite efforts from governments to ban them and hence, they remain substantially constant over the years.
Human beings depend on cooperation for survival and hence religion provides a certain bias to promote feelings of fear and guilt, social cohesion, and a sign of loyalty. Behavioral ecologists suggest that dilemma leads to promotion of cooperation in a society and hence, the success of religion despite the inherent cost to its adherents. Ritual behavior solves the adaptive problem. The primary adaptive benefit of such practices is that it enhances cooperation within a community or group. Activities such as defense against attacks and wars, sharing food, hunting are the basic activities in evolution (Vieth 2009:22).
Cooperation requires social mechanisms such as religion to prevent other people from free riding on the efforts of others. Therefore, only members can enjoy the benefits of these practices. When an individual participates in the activity of a certain religion, he or she is identifying herself or himself to the culture. This includes wearing of certain apparels, shaving heads, circumcision, or scalding of some kind. It is vital to show commitment through these practices hence, overcoming the problem of free riders and promoting cooperation.
However, most religious rituals require those signals of assurance that are very costly for anyone to fake. These practices help these religions to stand the test of time. Religious communes that impose behavi...