Selection Mechanisms in Religious Formation under Conquest and Political Integration

This paper examines recurring patterns in the formation of major religious traditions under conditions of conquest and political integration. Focusing on the selection and elevation of particular figures, narratives, and doctrinal emphases, it proposes a conciliation-based model to explain how certain religious forms stabilize and expand in post-conquest contexts. Rather than treating religious emergence as the product of individual charisma or doctrinal innovation alone, the paper identifies recurrent political constraints shaping which figures and symbolic configurations endure. Through comparative discussion of Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism, it argues that religious formation operates through selective mechanisms linking defeat, symbolic authority, and political consolidation. The paper is intended as a standalone theoretical contribution and is presented as a working paper.