In the beginning of human civilization, the faith in gods originated from fear. Humans were trying to tame the nature for their own benefit yet could not understand many of the natural phenomena. Science had not advanced and the rays of knowledge have not touched the minds of men and women. The natural phenomena like rain, sun, rivers, and death were explained by the religion. They invented gods for different natural resources. At first the gods did not look similar to a human and had the attributes of ferocious animals. Later on, from the advent of Greek civilization, gods started looking like humans as people had become more confident about their own identity.
The reasons why humans believe in religion are varied. Most people are taught about the principles of a certain religion from their childhood. It becomes a part of their identity and they believe in god and religious rituals out of respect for tradition and lack of a questioning attitude. Fear still is a ruling reason why people believe in god and religion. They try to mend for their follies, mistakes and even crimes by paying tributes to the almighty god. The fear of death reigns prime in the minds of people when it comes to religion. They try to seek comfort in the belief that there is an afterlife and heaven to go to after death.
The uncertainty of future is another reason for believing religion. It gives people the assurance they need to feel secured that the future troubles can be coped with and something good will surely happen. Very few people believe in god out of sheer faith and spirituality. Spiritualism is a way of self seeking and becoming more self aware. People even use religion to become more powerful in a society where they exist. Another reason for believing in religion is that it helps an individual mingle well with his community and secures is social position.
