That's only one factor in a high control organization.

There's a theory that the longevity of a commune comes down to making costly sacrifices. This signals to the group that you're not going to be a freeloader. Things like praying at a set time every day, or going to services tends to make religious communes last longer. The tasks don't have to do anything in themselves; they just have to exist and take up some of your time and effort. Religion has an easier time mandating these things, because you can put the whole reason for it on an ephemeral deity rather than something more concrete. In fact, this signaling to the group may have been the reason religion developed in the first place.

The data on this is mixed, however.

http://cognitionandculture.net/wp-content/uploads/Sosis_2003_CommuneLongevity.pdf