Why Does Religion Exist

To answer the question of why religion exists is a very daunting task, and without a doubt any theory will be controversial. I chose to examine this question from a purely psychological and scientific perspective. It is argued that humans may be genetically predisposed to be religious behavior, or that we are simply reacting to our environment. Religion may even exist because of the human desire to pursue happiness. All three of these theories provide an interesting insight as to why religion and religious behavior are so prevalent in the human race.

One theory of why religion exists is that humans are genetically predisposed to be religious. This theory basically states that it is in our nature to be religious due to our evolution as a species. Throughout time, it may have proved beneficial for humans as a species to be religious, especially for particular groups to practice the same religion. An example of why this would be beneficial is the cohesion of a particular group of prehistoric humans. If one group practices the same religious rituals together, they would have a stronger bond than a group who just simply works together to make ends meet. Devoting extra time and energy into rituals that provide no benefit to the group or the individual shows more devotion, allowing members of the group to gain more trust and respect for one another. On the other hand, a group of individuals who just perform tasks that are necessary to survival is less beneficial because it may leave more room for doubt that the individuals are merely looking out for themselves, rather than being interested in actually helping the group as a whole. Since the rituals are based on belief rather than function, religion shows that those wh...

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...red with the prospect of facing eternal Hell for a brief moment of happiness with an attractive female. Also, if one is facing incredibly difficult times and is very unhappy with how their current life is, the promise of a better tomorrow from religion will help this individual happy and continue on with their life without giving up hope. In short, the happiness that religion promises translates into actual happiness in our daily lives.

While we may never really know the real answer as to why religion exists, science has at the very least offered some interesting theories. The majority of our human race would probably denounce any idea that religion is a man-made product of our own minds. However, the human brain is very powerful and is capable of so many thoughts and ideas. Is it not at least possible that we could have created religion with our minds as well?