Religion is such a critical topic I wish to start off addressing it. I understand this may seem like a bad idea to start off on as it is an extremely touchy subject- one that people should avoid in day to day conversation. However, it is extremely important to us- especially of our country nonetheless. In fact, at the time of this writing, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a report that 83% of Americans subscribe to organized religion. I bring up this topic not because I mean to espouse or detract from religion, but that I wish to describe its social structures and why they were created, and how they are present in similar social structures. For the sake of brevity and to minimize the chance of mistakes, I will use examples from the religions I am most familiar with.
Religions are far more complex systems than merely a belief. Religious socialization endows a set of values, morals, and code of conduct onto its members. One may argue that these rules are very burdensome, but in cases like nomadic Israel, all the rules that Mosaic law imposed upon the people were critical to their survival.
One example that comes up (at least in my life frequently) is kosher food. It seems to be quite troublesome to follow such strict diet regulations, but take a look at the clean and unclean rules that the Israelites had regarding animals. A brief look would reveal that in general, only herbivores were eaten, which minimizes the chance that the animals would consume other unclean things. Scavengers like pigs and birds of prey were expressly forbidden (and are also considered haraam in Islamic law). Hopefully, I need not elaborate on the benefits of abstaining from such food in those days. One can argue also that not eating pork, shellfish, and such can also lead to less risk of food allergies, as well as lower cholesterol and fat, something we care about more these days than at that time (probably for the reason that we are eating them!). Such rules like these assist in the physical survival of the group but there were also some codified standards of behavior and that minimized strife within the group. I could explain this much further, but perhaps for another time.
Not only must a religion have these codes to maintain cohesion and identity, a religion must contend with intersecting cultures. A religion must be able to redefine itself to be relevant in the face of majority groups, or it may be rejected in favor of new value systems.
This brings us to our next discussion: Many religions have codes regarding endogamy, or the selection of mates within a group. The principal benefit of endogamy to a religion is the creation of further and deeper ties in the group, particularly with that of sacraments and customs associated with mate selection. I believe the codifying of this value is almost moot point, but a value beneficial to the religion nonetheless. Let me explain. First, I will concede that by the codifying the choice of partners within the group, additional moral feedback can be given by other members in the group, thus presenting additional barriers to departure from the group. In other words, having this manifest rule stigmatizes the behavior of intermarriage outside of the religious group, garnering criticism from peers, and thus discouraging the behavior.
That aside, if the pursuit of religion occupies a significant portion of one's life, it is difficult to depart from the lifestyle one is accustomed to. If there was conflict between their religion and their partner(s), ultimately a decision must be made, and the goats are parted from the lambs, so to speak. One who is not firmly rooted within that lifestyle will leave for another. Take for example, according to US census data, from 1945 to 1995, the intermarriage of Jews with non-Jews increased from 1 in 10 to 1 in 2, and the percentage of Jews in America has dropped from 4 to 2%. This should be no surprise to anyone: the melting pot in this instance means the erosion of the Jewish culture by assimilation into our modern day cultures. In this light, we should marvel that that we can even find this culture thousands of years later- a testament to the incredible power of religion as a cultural preservation mechanism.
In Part 2, we will discuss modern day social phenomena with great resemblances to religious cultures.
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