Religion is not simply 'way to explain things'. It's much more than that. It's an organized set of beliefs with rules, regulations, privileges, rights designed to address the spiritual well-being of a person. Group identity is often formed around a common religion; often, it's the only difference between two otherwise identical groups (e.g. Ireland/Northern Ireland, or like Sunni/Shia muslims in the Middle East).

Religion is so much more than an explanation. It's intrinsically linked to identity, to who you are, and to which group you are 'allowed' to belong to.