The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual

In Jerusalem men and women do their rituals on the foot of a structure in the hot sun. women wear long sleeve shirts, head coverings, and heavy long skirts. men have thick black beards and wear long black coats and fur hats. they dress as if its cold weather and suffer just to worship. in the U.S. we typically go to church or dont have such extreme circumstances. but that shows the big differences in religious rituals all around the world. i think that rituals and religions in the U.S. are still just as effective but not as brutal from my knowledge. the initiation for some cultures is way more than i would have ever expected. messing with children's genitals and causing pain to someone is not worth it in my mind but for some that is your only option, brutal or not.
there was a misunderstanding among primitives that dreams are real. when people have dreams about dead ancestors lead primitives to believe that spirits can survive death. being religious costs you money which i think is ridiculous.religions that require you to give things up or have certain beliefs have higher rates but less intense religions have steadily been losing members the more commitment the better the cooperation from the members.