Explain The Sacred
The following are 62 correlates that I’ve collected of things called “sacred”. I invite any of you to offer a theory of the sacred that explains as many of these as you can, as simply as you can. (And to suggests edits of this list.)
Sacred things are highly (or lowly) valued. We revere, respect, & prioritize them.
We revere sacred beliefs as well as acts. We feel dirty if thoughts go near illicit beliefs.
Sacred is big, powerful, extraordinary. We fear, submit, & see it as larger than ourselves.
Sacred things matter for our health, luck, courage, & other outcomes we care lots about.
We want the sacred “for itself”, rather than as a means to get other things.
Sacred things are either more homogenous, or more unique, whichever is better.
It induces emotions: awe, joy, admire, serenity, entrance, aesthetic, mirth, gratitude.
Sacred makes us feel less big, distinct, independent, in control, competitive, entitled.
Sacred quiets feelings of: doubts, anxiety, ego, self-criticism, status-consciousness.
Sacred often makes us express tears, chills, shivers, goosebumps, “whoa”.
We get emotionally attached to the sacred; our stance re it is oft part of our identity.
We desire to connect with the sacred, and to be more associated with it.
To approach the sacred, we use self-control to purify ourselves, sacrifice, & commit.
We enjoy sacrificing for the sacred, to purify & respect sacred, including via odd beliefs.
We feel reluctant to feel sacred joy, awe, etc. if we have not sufficiently earned it.
Inputs count more than outputs regarding the sacred, if your heart is right.
We find it hard to see utopias as attractive if they lack sacred suffering.
Sacred brings us comfort & consolation in hard times; losing it can feel devastating.
We affirm & learn sacred via mythic stories & accounts of how we & it fit in a universe.
We find stories that share our sacred values and beliefs nicer and easier to understand.
We have rules regarding how to approach sacred stuff, in part to protect us.
The sacred isn’t for use by commoners, or for common purposes.
Shared views about the sacred bind, define, and distinguish social groups.
Shared festivals & synchronized behaviors bind & charge us, & help us to see sacred.
We want our associates to share our views of and attachment to the sacred.
We get offended when others seem to deny our sacred views, and oft respond strongly.
We feel more equal to each other regarding sacred things; status matters less there.
Either everyone (e.g. love) or very few (e.g. medicine) are entitled to sacred opinions.
Charismatic leaders motivate, get acceptance, in part via appeals to sacred connections.
Experts of the sacred are prestigious & trusted, & oft allowed to break sacred rules.
The sacred makes us feel more prosocial, and sacrificing for it is seen as prosocial.
Sacred increases feelings of: safe, curious, cooperative, unified with universe & others.
Sacred things are sharply set apart and distinguished from the ordinary, mundane.
Sacred things do not fit well with our animal natures, such greed, status, competition.
Re sacred, we fear a slippery slope, so that any compromise leads to losing it all.
We dislike mixing sacred and mundane things together.
We dislike money prices of sacred, & trades to get more mundane via less sacred.
We dislike for-profit orgs of the sacred, relative to non-profits or government agencies.
We prefer discrete rules re sacred over continuous goals to achieve (Berns et al. 2012).
Sacred feelings are elusive, unusual, other-worldly, spiritual, hard to describe.
Sacred things feel less limited by physics, & can seem to have unlimited possibilities.
Sacred things really matter, fill deepest needs, complete us, make us pure, make all one.
Sacred things last longer, and decay or break less. Sometimes eternal and unchanging.
Sacred things are purer and cleaner, and closer to the ultimate core of existence.
Sacred things have fewer random coincidences; their patterns mean something.
Sacred values have fewer conflicts with each other; you can have them all at once.
It is harder to judge the relative value of sacred things, compared to mundane things.
Sacred things more resist precise definition and measurement.
Sacred view is wider, expansive, enveloping; we are a small uninfluential part.
We are reluctant to end sacred ventures or jobs, or to change their processes greatly.
We are most willing to end or change sacred ventures and jobs in a sudden big crisis.
We see the sacred poorly using words, cognitive rational analysis, and numbers.
We see the sacred better using intuition, flow, creativity, music, images, & aesthetics.
Intentional efforts to control the sacred are often counter-productive.
Talk of the sacred uses vaguer terms, focusing on general impressions not details.
We like related “profound” sayings that hint at deep insight but don’t directly give them.
We are less open to arguments that might criticize the sacred.
How sacred things seem is less misleading; you can more trust their appearances.
The sacred is mysterious, unlikely and even incoherent. Who are we to question it?
Sacred makes us stand outside ourselves, feel ecstasy, transcendence, different reality.
We do not make or control the sacred; it makes and transforms us.
Stuff (objects, dates, people, words, sounds) that touches the sacred gets sacred itself.
We connect to sacred themes better via more frequent contact with sacred stuff.
Over time, stuff that we often connect to tends to become sacred via nostalgia.
My attempt to explain these is described here.
The above list is edited (last time on Apr. 3) relative to my original version of the post. As some commented re that original numbering, here is my original list of 45 correlates:
Sacred things are highly (or lowly) valued. We politely revere, respect, & prioritize them.
We revere sacred beliefs as well as acts. We feel dirty when thoughts go near illicit ones.
Sacred is big, powerful, extraordinary. We fear, submit, & see it as larger than ourselves.
Sacred things matter for our health, luck, and other outcomes we care about.
We want the sacred “for itself”, rather than as a means to get other things.
Sacred things are either more homogenous, or more unique, whichever is better.
Sacred induces strong emotions: e.g., awe, joy, serenity, devotion, repulsion, & fear.
We get emotionally attached to the sacred; our stance toward it is part of our identity.
We desire to connect with the sacred, and to be more associated with it.
To approach the sacred, we use self-control to purify ourselves, sacrifice, & commit.
We enjoy sacrificing for the sacred, to purify, & respect sacred, including via odd beliefs.
Sacred brings us comfort & consolation in hard times; losing it can feel devastating.
We affirm & learn sacred via mythic stories & accounts of how we & it fit in a universe.
We have rules regarding how to approach sacred stuff, in part to protect us.
The sacred isn’t for use by commoners, or for common purposes.
Shared views about the sacred bind, define, and distinguish social groups.
Shared rituals & festivals bind & emotionally charge us, & help us to see sacred.
We want associates to share our view of and attachment to the sacred.
We get offended when others seem to deny our sacred views, and respond vigorously.
We feel more equal to each other regarding sacred things; status matters less there.
Either everyone (e.g. love) or very few (e.g. medicine) are entitled to opinions on sacred.
Charismatic leaders motivate, get acceptance in part via appeals, connections to sacred.
Experts of the sacred are more prestigious & trusted, get more job security.
Sacrificing for the sacred is seen as pro-social.
Sacred things are sharply set apart and distinguished from the ordinary, mundane.
Sacred things do not fit well with our animal natures, such as self-interest, competition.
We dislike mixing sacred and mundane things together.
We dislike money prices of sacred, & trades that get more mundane via less sacred.
We dislike for-profit orgs of the sacred, relative to non-profits or government agencies.
Sacred things feel less limited by physics, & can seem to have unlimited possibilities.
Sacred things really matter, fill deepest needs, complete us, make us pure, make all one.
Sacred things last longer, and decay or break less. Sometimes eternal and unchanging.
Sacred things are purer and cleaner, and closer to the ultimate core of existence.
Sacred things have fewer random coincidences; their patterns mean something.
Sacred things have fewer value conflicts with each other; you can have them all at once.
It is harder to judge the relative value of sacred things, compared to mundane things.
We understand the sacred poorly using cognitive rational analysis, or numbers.
We understand the sacred better using intuition, flow, and creativity.
How sacred things seem is less misleading; you can more trust their appearances.
The sacred is mysterious, unlikely and even inconsistent. Who are we to question it?
Sacred makes us stand outside ourselves, feel ecstasy, transcendence, different reality.
We do not make or control the sacred, it makes and transforms us.
Stuff (objects, dates, people, words, sounds) that touches the sacred gets sacred itself.
We connect to sacred themes better via contact with sacred stuff.
Over time, things that we often connect to tend to become sacred via nostalgia.
Group Selection: Our polite reverence and respect for “the sacred” may serve to keep social order and cohesion within a community. By showing deference to certain sacred beliefs, practices, or objects, we signal our adherence to shared cultural or religious norms and reinforce a sense of group identity. This can help promote social cooperation, reduce conflict within the community, and enhance the survival and reproductive success of the group.
Theory: the sacred is an evolved cultural technology that utilizes the human capacities you describe (group-binding and afar-seeing) as well as imagination (defined broadly) to boost health via 'placebo' or 'belief effects', with recursive feedback effects on the operative capacities.
The 'placebo' effect is strong but difficult to study without concepts like 'double-blind' -- plenty strong-enough to drive an area within cultural evolution. Known early-traditional healing practices appear to rely on placebo, and to be more effective the more social proof and consensus view is involved. Thus the older anthropological view of e.g. shamanism as placebo strengthens (and is strengthened) by the dimensions you discuss in the pdf.
Also I submit 33a: "Sacred things have invisible as well as visible components."