Extreme Religious Behaviours

Part II: Extreme behaviours

Introduction

Part I has laid out the psychological groundplan which forms the foundation of religious practices and beliefs. At first sight it contains little that goes against Darwinian logic. One would think that the practices and beliefs derived from this groundplan should not impede survival and reproduction. On the contrary, shared spiritual feelings that give rise to communal expression can and do give rise to manifestations of group solidarity and social cohesion, and there can be no doubt that these can contribute to evolutionary fitness.

And yet, this same psychological groundplan appears to give rise to certain practices and beliefs that do not rhyme with survival and reproduction. Part II will ...