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Are supernatural threats and the concept of hell really good for society?
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If, in addition to discussing crime rates, we broaden the scope of discussion and further
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explore the impact of beliefs in hell and supernatural threats on public interests and
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society as a whole, we can see sociologists putting forth various arguments both in support
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and opposition.
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From an evolutionary perspective, evolutionary biologist Dominic Johnson and psychologist
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Jesse Bering proposed an intriguing theory in a paper published in Evolutionary Psychology
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in 2006.
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They suggest that the concept of supernatural punishment provides an evolutionary advantage
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for human societies.
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They argue that humans possess two characteristics that distinguish them from other species.
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Firstly, humans instinctively use the "Theory of Mind" - the assumption that others possess
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a mind similar to one's own, which helps explain their actions.
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Secondly, the use of human language enables us to quickly communicate complex ideas.
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These two features allowed early humans to leverage social constraints to control others'
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selfish behaviors, providing an evolutionary advantage over other species.
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For instance, chimpanzees can act selfishly in front of other chimpanzees without being
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reported to those not present.
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However, for humans, we know people can hear, discover, infer, remember, report, hypothesize,
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plan, and act based on others' behaviors.
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Meaning, if we commit harmful acts in front of others, we might face group sanctions.
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The problem is, early humans didn't have surveillance cameras.
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They couldn't possibly monitor everyone's actions at all times.
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At this juncture, the concept of an all-knowing and omnipotent deity watching over you and
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ready to punish wrongful deeds becomes extremely useful!
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Dominic Johnson and Jesse Bering believe that over time, societies that embraced the concept
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of a 'punishing deity' would fare better and survive longer than societies that didn't
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believe in supernatural punishment.
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A 2003 study by Harvard University researchers Robert J. Barro and Rachel M. McCleary found
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that in developed countries, nations, where belief in hell outweighed belief in heaven,
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had a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP), seemingly supporting the aforementioned argument.
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However, not all scientists endorse this view.
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Evolutionary scientist Nicolas Baumard and anthropologist Pascal Boyer, in a paper published
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in Evolutionary Psychology in 2013, pointed out that many ancient societies, including
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the highly developed civilizations of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Aztec, Inca, and Maya,
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had organized religions.
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But a close examination of these civilizations' religions reveals that their gods, apart from
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demanding sacrifices and loyalty, weren't overly concerned with human morality or how
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humans treated each other.
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Those familiar with Greek mythology know that many gods in Greek myths had dubious moral
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standards.
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Yet, these aforementioned civilizations didn't stagnate or fare worse than others with 'moralized
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religions' due to their lack of such beliefs.
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Therefore, they challenge the theory that supernatural punishment serves as a driving
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force for societal development.
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On the contrary, they believe the causality is the other way around.
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Present-day religions lean towards moralization because humans have evolved moral intuitions,
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and religions that align with these intuitions resonate more with people, ensuring their
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continuity.
