Thanks Foxy. And thanks to mhaze for bringing up Chesterton's Fence. Kudos.

Dear Canem Malum,

We tend to define religion in terms of the religion we are familiar with. There were religions before there was monotheism. There are still major religions that are polytheist such as Hinduism or non-theist such as Buddhism.

You wrote: "...perhaps all higher animals have an idealised concept of God, leadership, ... embedded within their consciousness. Dogs, Primates, other mammals exhibit animal group behavior. It seems that the concept of "God" could be important for survival."

All human religions do not have the concept of God so it is a bit of a leap tp postulate that "perhaps all higher animals have an idealised concept of God, leadership." The concept appears to be a human invention - possibly by Akhenaten and identified with the sun.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Akhenaten

Talking about religion - it was Emile Durkheim, one
of the earliest functionalist theorists, to apply
the perspective to religion in a systematic way.

His study, "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life,"
was first published in 1912 and has since become
a classic. Many of Durkeim's contemporaries saw
religion as nothing more than a primitive relic
that would soon disappear in the more sophisticated
modern world. But Durkheim was impressed by the
fact that religion is universal in human society,
and he wondered why this should be so. His answer was
that religion has a vital function in maintaining the
social system as a whole.

Durkheim believed that the origins of religion were
social, not supernatural. He pointed out that,
whatever their source, the rituals enacted in any
religion enhance the solidarity of the community
as well as its faith. Consider such religious rituals
as baptism, bar mitzvah, weddings, Sabbath services,
Christmas mass, and funerals. Rituals like these serve
to bring people together; to remind them of their
common group membership; to reaffirm their traditional
values; to maintain prohibitions and taboos; to offer
comfort in times of crisis, and, in general to help
transmit the cultural heritage from one generation
to the next.

In fact, Durkheim argued, shared religious beliefs
and the rituals that go with them are so important
that every society needs a religion, or at least
some belief system that serves the same functions.

Contd ...

Some form of religion has existed in every society
that we know of. Religious beliefs and practices
are so ancient that they can be traced into prehistory.
Even the primitive Neanderthal people of that time, it
seems, had some concept of a supernatural realm that
lay beyond everyday reality. Among the fossilized
remains of these cave dwellers, anthropologists have
found evidence of funeral ceremonies in the form of
flowers and artifacts that were buried with the dead,
presumably to accompany them on the journey to an
afterlife.

Although religion is a universal social institution, it
takes a multitude of forms. Believers may worship gods,
ancestors, or totems; they may practice solitary meditation,
frenzied rituals, or solemn prayer.

Several religions ignore questions about the origins of the
universe and life, leaving these problems to be dealt with
instead by nonreligious myth. Many religions assume that
the gods take little interest in human affairs.
Obviously, religion cannot be defined in terms of the
Western religious tradition alone.

For many years it was widely felt that as science
progressively provided rational explanations for the mysteries
of the universe, religion would have less and less of a role
to play, and would eventually disappear, unmasked as nothing
more than superstition. But there are still gaps in our
understanding that science can never fill. On the ultimately
important questions - of the meaning and purpose of life and the
nature of morality.

Few citizens of modern societies would utterly deny the
possibility of some higher power in the universe, some
supernatural, transcendental realm that lies beyond the
boundaries of ordinary experience, and in this fundamental sense
religion is probably here to stay.

Mans mind is Brilliant, we invented our very own God
Even our first Nation had rules to live by like who you could and could not wed
You and I can see their God the rainbow serpent on most wet days
What a shame we did not all invent the same one!
Foxy puts a great case for the benefit in having Gods
Just dream with me for a While
IF ONLY we all had one God
Lets invent him her
Have ten commandments to live by
Claim we all get many lives
And if we in this one harm any one based on race, we must return as a member of that race in the next life
In time people would forget it is an invention
But live better inclusive lives because of it

David F, you have not put up one society that you think is workable just criticise. Obviously you believe that Marxist atheism is the most workable society. Otherwise identify what works! Atheism in society does not work as it has caused gross murders in its attempt to achieve.