[Paleopsych] religion

[G. Reinhart-Waller]

Michael writes:
> --No doubt, religious belief isn't necessary in order
> for a group to see another group as evil and worthy 
> of
> extermination. It might help a little, however, if 
> you
> believe your group is endorsed by a deity who hates
> your enemy as much as you do. But, as I mentioned,
> that deity can be replaced by the spirit of the 
> group,
> if that spirit is unquestioned and has its own
> momentum. Perhaps that's what a deity really is, the
> hidden face of the power of the group.

Many religions hold other groups in disfavor and could 
foster the hatred and disrespect one group feels for 
the enemy.  Yet I'm given to thinking that the spirit 
of the group, the esprit de corps, is what energizes 
and sustains group fervor in rabblerousing against the 
other.

Gerry Reinhart-Waller
Independent Scholar