This was posted at IF Support, so I'll just copy/paste the same post here:

I'm not sure if this topic has been posted here yet, but if so, feel free to delete this one.

Anyway, in my World Literature class, we were learning about the history of Greco-Roman (Greek and Roman) mythology. That spurred my teacher to ask the very deep question: "Why do most [or many] humans feel the need to believe in 'supernatural' religious thoughts, such as God, Heaven, Hell, the Devil, reincarnation, karma, etc.?"

We had a 50-or-so minute discussion on it and some very intelligent answers were suggested:

-Many people find it hard to believe "This is it. When we die, everything ends, and there's nothing after that."

-Many people find comfort in the ideas that if they screw up in life, the after-life (or next life, if you believe in reincarnation) can be better.

-Many people find comfort in the idea that no matter what social rank they fall in, they're going to be treated equally in the next/afterlife.

-We (humans) have a natural curiosity, and a need to "know everything". For what we have yet to explain, we turn to religion.

Those are just a few. I agree with most of them (I myself am an athiest, but those seem like as good reasons as any to believe in God, etc. if you want).

What are your thoughts? And do you have any other reasons to add to the list?

-IMP ;) :)

One mor reason- tradition. A lot of people are brought up practicing one religion or another, and it becomes a part of their lives. Religion provides something they know well and recognize, and they just don't see the need to believe otherwise. Besides, I think a lot of people don't *actually* believe in the religion they practice; they are members of the church for social activites like choir, etc, but are not fervent believers in the afterlife aspect.

some people have mystical experiences of God that spur them to believe in something greater than themselves.

They have or think they have? Because in all my experience, and in the experience of everyone I know, when something like that happens, it usually (if not always) is a rare or common occurrence that can be explained with something outside of religion.

-IMP ;) :)

They like to have the backdrop of religion. It allows many, many people to overlook the ills of this life and just assume it will all be worked out in the next, this is what Marx meant when he said it was the "opiate of the masses." It allows them to avoid the tough questions, the real problems of this world.

Plus, people don't like the idea of abandonment, as was laid out by Jean-Paul Satre, they like the idea of being looked out for, of being watched over.

Originally though, I imagine it was because there was a need for understanding of the word around them, which natural "phenomenons" (sunrise, or the moon, or gravitiy, or the like) they could not explain.

I've heard people say (from a Christian point of view) that God created a need in human beings that we would want God. Religion though can be interpreted as an entirely different thing. Organizing at a church once a week creates a sort of unity between like believers. People who have things in common tend to group together. This goes for interests, hobbies, religion, race, age, gender, clothing, ect.