Live Science has an article noting how "vengeful gods" i.e. the idea that a deity will punish you if you do evil, is an ancient idea, not just in the Bible, and notes how it worked in ancient societies.
All in all, "our research suggests that religion is playing a functional role throughout world history, helping stabilize societies and people cooperate overall," Savage said.
"In really small societies, like very small groups of hunter-gatherers, everyone knows everyone else, and everyone's keeping an eye on everyone else to make sure they're behaving well. Bigger societies are more anonymous, so you might not know who to trust."
At those sizes, you see the rise of beliefs in an all-powerful, supernatural person watching and keeping things under control, Savage added.
"We are not saying anything about the value of religion," Savage added. "We are not saying it is good or bad, but we are saying it has a deep and consistent relationship with societies throughout world history. Religion is deeply intertwined with what it means to be human, for better and for worse."
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