A new study suggests that environmental factors, alongside social and cultural factors, may play a strong role in determining the type of religion associated with a particular society.
Researchers analysed 583 societies around the world to determine the role played by linguistic, historical, cultural and environmental factors in the dominant religion. In particular, they found that religions with “moral high gods” who encourage humans to cooperate with each other would be more prevalent in areas where unpredictable climate or lack of resources sometimes leads to scarcity.
The authors stress that neither ecology nor culture alone explain the religion of a society, but that all factors play a role.
Original research paper published in PNAS on November 10, 2014.
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