Christianity spread faster in small, politically structures societies
Nature Human Behaviour • Vol/Iss. 2 • Nature • • Published In • Pages: 559-564 •
By Watts, Joseph, Sheehan, Oliver, Bulbulia, Joseph, Gray, Russell D. , Atkinson, Quentin D.
Hypothesis
A model examining the predictor variables of political complexity, social inequality, and population size, as well as the control variables of cultural isolation and year of missionary arrival, will predict the conversion time of Austronesian cultures to Christianity.
Note
Population size was found to be significantly positively associated with conversion time to Christianity (p = 0.002). There was a negative association between political complexity and conversion time (p = 0.009). There was no relationship between social inequality and conversion time (p = 0.805). There was a negative relationship between the first control variable, cultural isolation, and conversion time (p = 0.049) as well as the second, year of missionary arrival, and conversion time (p = 0.015).
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| multivariate PGLS-spatial analyses | Supported | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Political Complexity | Independent | Territorial Organization |
| Population Size | Independent | Population |
| Social Inequality | Independent | Social Stratification |
| Cultural Isolation | Control | Maps, Location |
| Year of Missionary Arrival | Control | Missions |
| Conversion Time to Christianity | Dependent | Missions |