A poll taken proved that children brought up with faith did far better in their education skills and other skills throughout their lives than children that didn't.
I do not believe that religion was created to control people. Westerners are still pretty much free to do as they wish within the law and if you live in a country that is ruled by an iron fist then blame your government and not God. If you want better, you have to fight for it!
Opinion
OpinionBecause thinking is a hard task, and they need someone else to do the thinking for them. OpinionMany people have trouble not knowing the purpose for life, not accepting there is no "purpose", not knowing how life began, not knowing what happens when we die or why things happen. They are terrified at the thought that they are alone in the universe. They need to believe that someone is in charge.Religion gives life purpose for some people. It gives people who are not self-directed and self responsible rules to follow. It allows people to create explanations that make them more comfortable with the uncertainty of life and helps them answer unanswerable questions with man-made truths. They think they can't be good on their own: they need someone telling them to be good and if they're good they will be rewarded in the next life. That is why religious faith is, what it must be, the unquestioning acceptance that something is true in the absence of proof.
Unfortunately, the reality that most people need religion in their lives has made it an important tool for control: of women, of children, of political power and indeed, of whole populations. Skilled "pastors" have managed to charm huge populations of the faithful, taking in millions for self enrichment. Suicide bombers kill thousands of innocent victims while carrying out their religious beliefs. It must be acknowledged that malicious or benign, religious fervor has been the basis for human actions for millennia.
On the plus side, religion helps form cohesive communities where they may not otherwise exist. Members find a support system when they are in need and churches are responsible for all kinds of meaningful charitable work for the needy and downtrodden and less fortunate individuals that populate the earth.
because people tend to believe in something, they usually believe in God, because God solves the answer of where we came from and how we we are living, and maybe even why we are living it. If they believe in nothing then, there is no answer. it makes them relief when they trust on something, when they believe there is something that they can apologize or pray or ask to be protected.
and if there was no fear of God anyways, people would tend to be more careless as at the end of the day, they are just gonna die and there will be no punishment.
Religion not a survival requirement for anyone it is an emotional need for many.
A crutch to help them when things are difficult and a way to explain things they do not understand and are perhaps afraid of finding out.
For such people it can be a huge comfort in times of distress and give that added lift at such times.
Because everyone needs something to believe in. It helps people move about their daily business. Hope and faith is the biggest motivator
carbohydrates are our main source of energy
to empty the self of crap and pee.
humanity, humanism concentrates on people not a deity and such. it isn't a religion, it is about making earth a better place for humans. there are religious humanists (the original ones were, but it is more compatible with atheism or agnosticism
Roughly the same that are met by religion. The need to explain that which the observer does not yet have the capacity to rationalize, and the need to place blame for the world's ills on a fixed target. Basically, to oversimplify the complex.
pros. humans are on this earth to interact, with out interaction humans are to drive themselves insane, this is how you meet friends and lovers. cons. the crazy people
I doubt there was a 'purpose' to it, they were humans, and humans seem to be hardwired to feel inferior and with a need to explain the unexplainable
religiousness implies being together!spiritual need is to identify one in all.
Wizard + Religion = Priest
religion is an explanation for all the unnatural things in our world. beside the fact that people need something larger then them to hold on to something they can trust to save them. something higher then us
Some people see religion as a moral compass that can be used through a person's life to judge one's actions, although religion is by no means necessary to form a system of morality. There is no evidence to show that people without a religion are any more likely to commit crimes. Humans don't "need" to believe in a religion, but human brains are highly adept at identifying patterns, and this predisposes humans to religious belief.
they need to feel like they belong to something or are apart of a group of people.
According to the research in learning psychology living organisms tend to search interrelationships (even if they don't exist). Does religion fulfill this need for humans?
For whoever has the best religion.
The south pole uninhibited by humans and so no religion is found there.
Humans have values, secularly as well as religious. Religion need not play a part in human values. Existentialism is moot.
Since anthropolgy is the study of humans, religion is the base of human beliefs. People are different according to their beliefs, values and attitudes. As religion plays a big part in beliefs religion is nearly central to the study of different humans.
it depends what religion u are