"Ginges studied a wide variety of religious people from various cultures and faiths - from Palestinian Muslims to Israeli Jews, and from British Protestants to Indian Hindus. Across the board, Ginges found that a person's stance on martyrdom had little to do with their religious devotion or to any particular religious belief. Instead, it was the collective side of religion that affected their stance - those who frequently took part in religious rituals and services, were most likely to support martyrdom"

A fellow on Stonejek's EP list inquired about swarms: religion appears, to me, to be a swarm phenomenon, with mixed effects for individuals. Charles Murray concludes that western religion found a God who valued individualism...a gene change or a cultural one? Or is this another Bob Plomin-Frank Galton GxE interaction? Afterall, neurons in London cabbies increase density in the same manner as neurons in violinists or as skin that makes a callus or muscles that grow larger...

There are chapters in Rebellion that cover some of this stuff.

JimB