ABSTRACT

It is almost impossible to imagine an entirely idiosyncratic religious system. Hermits may live for long periods alone, but they do so to enhance (or escape from) a communal religion of some sort. Belief is seldom, if ever, solely an individual matter: it depends on interaction within a community. Many behavioural aspects of religious systems tend to be social, including ritual, prayer and in some cases also religious experience. And codes of morals stem from and refer to the conduct of individuals in social situations. Social aspects of religious systems have been referred to in every one of the preceding chapters, and it is necessary here only to draw the threads together. First, however, it is helpful to review briefly some general findings about the dynamics of groups.