Why do you think there is such a thing as Religion?

Because life in this world is temporary and is just a test...in preparation for the hereafter which is permanent and lasting. So to attain success, one has to follow the straight path, the right way of life, the true religion, islam!

Belief in a god probably goes back to times when people didn't understand how the seasons worked. And when winter came and the crops no longer grew, some sort of sacrifice would have been made to the sun, and then it came back and the crops grew. The people would have associated the sacrifice with the positive outcome, and they wouldn't have dared not do it again because they couldn't risk famine.

In time the sacrifice will have become more sophisticated, and perhaps the idea came about that the sun might be the gift of a god rather than the god itself. This might be a way, or similar to a way, that religion developed.

People would then have assumed that the laws that their ancestors devised came from the god, so the religion would have become even more sophisticated still, providing authority for the laws and fear of a vengeful god if laws were disobeyed, and the same fear would make others stone to death anyone who breached a law to avoid vengeance being visited on the whole community.

There are probably other elements, but it will have gone back to the dawn of civilisation.

And it's become institutionalised, and there are many religions, cults, sects and denominations (including "non-denominational", "not a religion but a personal relationship...", and many others). It's survived because it's become institutionalised, provides a living for some, and is deeply ingrained into traditions and into national, international or intra-national identities; that it's still survived is both puzzling and fascinating.

Very simple. People have a hard time dealing with the fact they're gonna die and when they do, it's game over. Now, most believers will believe any old thing, but even the most gullible of believers are not so stupid as to think they're never gonna die. So, they make up this crap about how brain dead is not necessarily all dead. Admittedly, this would be laughable if it weren't such a crying shame how these proponents of the afterlife have suckered people into believing it. Why "suckered" you may well ask. Ok, google Megachurches and the Vatican being the sixth richest entity on the whole entire planet earth. Scared yet? No? You should be. It is creepy city of the first water.

I am not saying this is true, but there is the possibility that some people, many thousands of years ago, saw some beings from other planets or universes and thought they were Gods.

It could also be true that they just had to make up stories, because there were no video games or internet.

They were just too bored.

In addition, they could have made up religion, because people used to be very violent and had to be controlled.

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

- Marx

I am not an atheist myself, but I guess we all need something to believe in, someone to pray to, and some unfathomable power to put the blame on for unfair and unjust things.

this is in simple terms being secular. Humanism, in case you'll. even as some human beings scream that its a faith by using "-ism," this is truly only a philosophical college that states that human beings are in this for the lengthy haul and we settle on to position self assurance in our personal intelligence and morals, somewhat than a god/gods that would or would not exist.

Here are two reasons: to explain the unexplainable and to provide something for people to look up to and to give people someone who is always understanding and loving.

It gives people something to believe and follow when they do not want have a relationship with God the way the Christians do, and can't see the value in atheism.

It provides a socially-acceptable excuse for adults to believe in magic.

If it weren't for the weight of tradition, religion would have died out centuries ago.

What better way to control people than to get them to believe you can give them eternal life