The Religion Deluge

Religion has been both a savior and an atrocious monster.
Christianity gave hope to the Europe of the dark ages. Islam gave a way of life to the inhabitants of the barren span of the Middle East. The most obvious truth of life is death. A man drunk on Faith is much better equipped at facing it when compared with the learned Atheist scientist.

But lets face it. Christ can't possibly have been the son of God. The Quran was written by humans. Krishna was a king, no avtaar. Any one who is out to challenge these facts is fooling himself/herself.

Why is it important to accept these logical facts? Organized religion creates strongly knit communities. But it alienates these communities from other ideologies. The core psychological idea behind Religion is to create strong communities and/or make its followers lead their lives in a certain fashion.

Why does the "monotheistic" Muslim laugh at idol-worshipers? The Quran denounced idol-worshiping because it differentiated their religion from the pagan/Hindu way of life. Thus creating a distinct society. Pilgrimage is a tool in the same direction.

Remember that the near East and Europe of those times ( when the now dominant Christianity and Islam originated ) were war torn lands.
Taking a man away to battle-grounds, away from his family for seasons at end, was a difficult task. He would yearn for the comfort of home. He would dread an almost impending brutal death in battle. He would yearn for his partner/ a partner.
In came the tenets of his religion to show him the right path. In came the concept of eternal glory. Of paradise. In came sexual conservatism. Something that pervades entire societies even today. (It has several advantages. Well formed families, lesser unexpected pregnancies.But essentially, it was meant to keep the patriarchal structure of the society in control.)

Lets not go into details of religions themselves here.