"Hate is the opiate of the masses. Some say it's religion, but that's incorrect. Religion is merely a syringe of choice." - Sunflier
Religions root cause for existence
personally, I believe Religion is a consequence of a feedback loop between the concepts of Marriage and Faith. Marriage provides the next generation of believers and Faith gives the dogma/community for context of raising them to adults. Sprinkle in some environmental stimuli that leans towards more emotion and less criticality and boom: BIBLE BELT.
Faith is still a fiction though, and they promote faith based unenlightened thinking.