[mokus]

I feel it’s even more accurate to say they are human behaviors that take advantage of religion (or any other available power structure). In a world dominated by religion they take religious form. If we remove religion from power or power from religion, they will take whatever form allows them to thrive in the new system.

[smabie]

Exactly, these behaviors are memetic and allow a group to continue to exist: groups without some or all of these features certainly exist but don't have the robustness or cohesion to keep themselves together for 100s or 1000s of years.

Religion groups have done a very good job at fulfilling their primary purpose: to continue to exist (this purpose is not unique to religions, as continued existence is the purpose of all groups whether they accept it or not)