Ritual is an actual waste of resources that demonstrates commitment. Someone wastes time, effort, comfort and/or security in order to play out a ritual that is explicitly dedicated to a particular principle or goal, a ritual often involving symbolic rehearsal of the behaviors expected of initiated adherents.
The senseless destruction of one's own resources is a demonstration that one will be willing to make the sacrifices expected of the initiated. Destroying resources senselessly is a signal of dedication, especially during a ritual process usually consisting of articulating and rehearsing a set of values, values expressed as deserving of sacrifice.
Also, sunk cost fallacy is a real motivator. Initiation rituals involve spending big before you see any benefit from a thing. They make it more likely that you will last until you see benefits, which is important for groups that also have to invest in initiates. Checkpoint and daily rituals are maintenance of that sunk cost.
edit: these are extremely useful things, even if I'm being a little cold about them. If somebody spent three months preparing for their initiation into the Anaheim Roller Coaster Fanatics, I'm not going to think twice about having them hold the club's $400 treasury. If somebody chants a poem about being loyal to our religion every time they drink a glass of water, I'm not going to be overly paranoid leaving my kids with them. It's the basis of affinity frauds, the assuming of ritual adherence.
The senseless destruction of one's own resources is a demonstration that one will be willing to make the sacrifices expected of the initiated. Destroying resources senselessly is a signal of dedication, especially during a ritual process usually consisting of articulating and rehearsing a set of values, values expressed as deserving of sacrifice.
Expensive rituals discourage multiple commitments.
Also, sunk cost fallacy is a real motivator. Initiation rituals involve spending big before you see any benefit from a thing. They make it more likely that you will last until you see benefits, which is important for groups that also have to invest in initiates. Checkpoint and daily rituals are maintenance of that sunk cost.
edit: these are extremely useful things, even if I'm being a little cold about them. If somebody spent three months preparing for their initiation into the Anaheim Roller Coaster Fanatics, I'm not going to think twice about having them hold the club's $400 treasury. If somebody chants a poem about being loyal to our religion every time they drink a glass of water, I'm not going to be overly paranoid leaving my kids with them. It's the basis of affinity frauds, the assuming of ritual adherence.