People only follow religions because they've been indoctrinated as children.
Why is believing in the God of the Bible and different than believing in Harry Potter, the tooth fairy or the Loch Ness monster? They all have the same amount of evidence. Some people believe in them because we encourage children to accept things they are told without evidence.
There's a reason religions are so desperate to run the schools. If they don't, religion will disappear altogether in a few generations. I hope it will anyway as access to the facts is so much easier. The time is well overdue to remove their tax breaks and stop our taxes being given to them to try and indoctrinate future generations. I'm broadly in agreement with you.
However religion is capable of being a positive force, albeit mostly on an individual basis.
My mums cousin and his wife are committed happy clappy Christians. Proper evangelical types. They "found" God after their two daughters who were both under 8 were diagnosed with a **** nasty genetic disorder that would see them blind deaf and paralysed before they hit puberty. He buried his youngest 2 weeks ago. His eldest wont last the year. Coupled with the fact hes recovered from 3 brain haemorrages and his wife from breast cancer. Twice.
I cant blame the poor **** for seeking a higher purpose.
That's horrible, however I think something that cruel would have the opposite effect on me. I'd be in the how can God be so cruel/allow this to happen school of thought.
Well yeah.... That would probably be my reaction as well.