Category Archives: Ch.16) Protection from Them

“Having a protector clearly reduces stress.” – Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth, Baboon Metaphysics (1) He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. (Psalms 18:30) Just as there are costs and benefits to being a group alpha, … Continue reading →

The great ape alpha is a threatening individual. Not only does he threaten his own groups members to get them to defer to him, this master of threat will turn his imposing nature outside the group and protect it from … Continue reading →

Xenophobia. Fear of foreigners. In a sense, to fear the foreign, the strange-to-you, is wise. For what we don’t know can hurt us. And the foreign is less known, more unpredictable. So we prefer the familiar, at least when it … Continue reading →

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (Psalms 60:12) Human concerns and needs are reflected in the characteristics of the god they worship. We can chalk up the many faces and changing nature … Continue reading →

Despite the claims that religions promote universal love, what they best promote is love-for and loyalty-to the ‘brothers’ in one’s own group.(21) Why? If we look at the nature of social groups, it is highly likely that from the family … Continue reading →