Religion is the result of man's insecurities and fears of the unknowns around him. You fear what you do not understand, and in that way THClord you are correct in stating that religion helps make people happy because they no longer fear what they don't comprehend, if albeit misguided in their explanations. Religion then became something man turned to when he was feeling alone in a giant universe. No one likes the notion that we all die alone, and yet we do. Fear of what may or may not come after death led men to create stories to alleviate their worries. To try and explain our existence in the vast cosmos is competely worthless in our short time as a race, and it for that exact reason that people cling to their faiths. Perhaps we may learn the true nature of the universe and its creation far down the road, but I doubt we'll survive that long to find out.