Pascal Boyer, an anthropologist who studies the transmission of cultural knowledge, points out that it is a common temptation to search for the origin of religion in general human urges, such as the desire to define a moral system or explain natural phenomena.
So here is a list of commonly posited reasons for the origin of religion, and a suggested possible alternative viewpoint:
Do not say..... Religion answers people's metaphysical questions.
But say........... Religious thoughts are activated when people deal with concrete situations (this death, this crop, this birth).
Do not say.....Religion is about a transcendent God.
But say...........Religion is about a variety of agents - ghouls, ghosts, spirits, ancestors, deities that are in direct interaction with people.
Do not say.....Religion allays anxiety.
But say...........It generates as much anxiety as it allays (vengeful ghosts, aggressive gods are as common as protective deities).
Do not say.....Religion was created at time t in history.
But say...........There is no reason to think that the various thoughts we call 'religious' appeared in human culture all at the same time.
Do not say.....Religion explains natural phenomena.
But say...........Most religions actually produce more salient mysteries than explanations of natural phenomena.
Do not say.....Religion explains mental phenomena.
But say...........In places where religion is not called on to explain them, mental phenomena are not intrinsically mystical or supernatural.
Do not say.....Religion is about morality and salvation of the soul.
But say...........Salvation is peculiar to a few doctrines and unheard of in most other religions.
Do not say.....Religion creates social cohesion.
But say...........Religious commitment can be used as a signal of coalitional affiliation, but coalitions create secession just as often as integration.
Do not say.....Religious claims are irrefutable.
But say...........There are many irrefutable statements that no one believes; plausability to certain people is the factor of interest.
Do not say.....Religion is irrational, regressive and superstitious.
But say...........Commitment to imagined agents does not really relax or suspend ordinary mechanisms of belief formation; indeed it can provide important evidence for their functioning (and therefore should be studied attentively).
From: Boyer, Pascal. "Religious thought and behaviour as by-products of brain function", Trends in Cognitive Sciences 7, no. 3 (2003): 119-24
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