Religion, by definition, is about believing in things that go beyond the self, and is usually practiced in groups of people who are expected to follow certain rules. Collectivistic cultures tend to be religious cultures, and individualistic cultures tend to be less religious. Growing up slowly is also an uncomfortable fit for religious tenets, which often encourage sexual abstinence until marriage. When the norm is to marry in one’s late 20s or early 30s, fifteen to twenty years after puberty, no hanky-panky until marriage becomes difficult to pull off.
