Introduction to Moralizing Religion

What do the gods want? Will we be judged after death? What is the aim of religious practice? In all the major religions recognized today, interpersonal morality is a primary concern, reinforced by supernatural systems of punishment and reward.

In the Abrahamic faiths, an all-powerful god monitors and judges human conduct, and in Asian karmic religions, every action has consequences, in this life or the next. Yet this focus is recent compared to beliefs in supernatural agency and life after death, and ritual practices designed to ensure good relationships with gods, spirits, and ancestors.

How did moralizing supernatural punishment and reward (MSP) become so important, and what impact have these beliefs had on human societies? Since 2011, teams of scholars affiliated with the Seshat: Global History Databank have used quantitative methods to explore these questions.