Religious Ritual and Outsiders

Religion serves as a way to bring people together, while at the same time, it also serves as a way to make a differentiate from outsiders. In his article about religious ritual, Richard Sosis discusses the idea that religious ritual provides a way to secure the bonds between people and also a way to clearly separate the members from the outsiders.
Sosis discusses that believers all over the world differentiate themselves from others according to their religion, "Moonies shave their heads, Jain monks wear contraptions on their heads and feet to avoid killing insects, and clergy almost everywhere dress in outfits that distinguish them from the rest of society" (Sosis 1). Whether it be an outward display, or an inward belief, religions have ways of identifying themselves and standing out among the crowd. Sosis introduces an idea that behavioral ecologist William Irons has come up with. Irons believes that, "...religious activities signal commitment to other members of the group"(Sosis 2). When members participate in an activity or ritual, they are cementing their bond with the group.
While most believe that one of the most important parts of religion is that it, "...promotes a sense of belonging"(Oswald 40), it is also believed that, "...ritual unites a group of people because it is performed against an implicit or explicit other" (IBID). The idea of segregating oneself from others brings one closer to their own group because it clearly creates the lines between the two. It is easier to relate to one's group because they all practice the same thing, they can band together against outsiders because of a common interest.
Cementing group bonds by segregating from others is not just found in religion. This practice can be found in places like middle school. If one's group of friends bonds over their love of a certain television show or something, they can sometimes separate against others who don't watch the same show. It can even go farther when one group bullies another because of different or opposing interests. The idea of bonding a group by way of designating and defining outsiders plays a part in religion and the strong bonds that believers of the same religion have with one and other.


Oswald, Ramona Faith"Religion, Family, and Ritual". Review of Religious Research 43.1 (2001): 39-50.

Sosis, Richard "The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual". American Scientist 92.2 (2004): 166- 172.