Religions are cancer of the modern world. Some people need them because they are intellectually inferior and can't process things and get simple answers to what they feel and see.
Basically, it is weakness and fear of death that has to be compensated somehow, even with stupid tales. It doesn't matter, we all know that people do strange things when they are afraid.
On top of that, most of the people are living in societies where the course of their lives actually don't depend on what they are doing but it depends on a fucked up system. Once you are learned or you figure out that life is passing and you didn't get what you always wanted, then believing in unnatural things kicks in.
Whenever I've talked to religious people and asked them totally logical questions, I've never got an answer with meaning. They are just repeating a mantra or saying that what I am saying is blasphemy.
One of the reasons is hope. When you lose someone important, it is hard to accept that his life was useless and you won't be ever able to see him again.
Religious people are dangerous mostly because of their stupidity. Religious differences brought so much suffering through history that no one smart would back up that direction any further.
In the end, just take a look what Muslims are doing and what are they capable of doing in the name of the religion .
This is why education must be free and available to everyone on this tiny planet we call home.