Quote Originally Posted by Harry Monk View Post
Nail on the head. Religion was invented for people who are afraid of death and can't understand the concept of death being the final part of the cycle of life.
I prefer Richard Dawkins explanation.
For very good survival reasons, we as a species have evolved to (mostly) follow what our elders do, believe what they believe, and accept things as correct if they have always been done that way, even if you can't understand the reasons why, especially when we are children.
This evolved susceptibility to taking on these deep beliefs as a child is throughout history exploited by people who wish to maintain control over the population.

I'm explaining it badly, but I think Dawkins put it that religion is an evolutionary side effect that does more harm than good