Yet, there is an even grander example of interpersonal religion than sports:

politics. Across the world, we come together under a similar set of values and

decide to bestow authority, leadership, and virtue onto a small number of

people. Like the lines on a football field, political systems are entirely made

up, the positions of power exist due only to the faith of the population. And

whether it’s a democracy or a dictatorship, the result is the same: a small

group of leaders is idolized and exalted (or demonized) in the social

consciousness.31

Interpersonal religions give us hope that another human being will bring

us salvation and happiness, that one individual (or group of individuals) is

superior to all others. Interpersonal religions are sometimes combined with

supernatural beliefs and ideological beliefs, resulting in pariahs, martyrs,

heroes, and saints. Many of our interpersonal religions develop around our

leaders. A charismatic president or celebrity who seems to understand

everything we go through can approach the level of a God Value in our eyes,

and much of what we deem right or wrong is filtered through what is good or
bad for our Dear Leader.

Fandom, in general, is a low-level kind of religion. Fans of Will Smith or

Katy Perry or Elon Musk follow everything that person does, hang on every

word he or she says, and come to see him or her as blessed or righteous in

some way. The worship of that figure gives the fan hope of a better future,

even if it’s in the form of something as simple as future films, songs, or

inventions.

But the most important interpersonal religions are our familial and

romantic relationships. The beliefs and emotions involved in these

relationships are evolutionary in nature, but they are faith-based all the

same.32 Each family is its own mini-church, a group of people who, on faith,

believe that being part of the group will give their lives meaning, hope, and

salvation. Romantic love, of course, can be a quasi-spiritual experience.33 We

seem to lose ourselves in someone we have fallen for, spinning all sorts of

narratives about the cosmic significance of the relationship.

For better or worse, modern civilization has largely alienated us from

these small, interpersonal religions and tribes and replaced them with large

nationalist and internationalist ideological religions.34 This is good news for

you and me, fellow religion-builder, as we don’t have as many intimate bonds

to cut through to get our followers emotionally attached to us.

Because, as we’ll see, religion is all about emotional attachment. And the

best way to build those attachments is to get people to stop thinking critically