I’m assuming “politics” here is being used in its modern sense, as a synonym for senseless/childish rivalry, instead of “collective and competitive decision-mak

I’m assuming “politics” here is being used in its modern sense, as a synonym for senseless/childish rivalry, instead of “collective and competitive decision-making”. And the type of religious belief you’re discussing is centered around zealotry, presumably deriving from a priori beliefs. I think these are derivative factors. The primary factor is material, as it almost invariably is. There are massive organizations and affiliated organizations with a material stake in having things be this way, and they have almost zero interest in “societal net benefit” action, or concern for “societal net deficit” harm, so long as “private net benefit” is maintained. There is no shadowy cabal, but as with other aspects of the system, lack of explicit coordination is why it works so well (think of it as a perverse version of Milton Friedman’s “pencil”).