ABSTRACT
The links between society and religion are closer than may appear from mere observation of today's world (Wuthnow, 1992). In fact, cultural evolution, and even the evolution of society itself, have been thought of as depending largely on the institution of religion (Ashbrook, 1993; Durkheim, 1915). For millennia, society has needed religions to create and sustain sufficient degrees of value consensus for the continued existence of communities and society (McGuire, 1994).
