Sacred rituals (church/temple in particular) reward us with the pack response (spirituality/elation) and inclusive signals in exchange for learning the skill of suppression of our impulses.
The most aggressive and demanding ritual is that of islam’s multitude of demands and daily repetitions, the most intellectually demanding judaism, the least demanding and most disorganized christianity, the most spiritual buddhism, the most ritualistic and perhaps best Japanese co-religions of shinto and buddhism, the most difficult and most beneficial stoicism combined with aristotelian empiricism (law and science).
These rituals are necessary in every society if for no other reason than to train us to show piety (respect), for the commons.
Westerners were able to develop commons in some part, because the church suppressed impulse through their ritual.
The sacred = that which I must not impose any cost upon, whatsoever.