Why is religion so widespread? Freud thought is had to do with a search for a father figure. Others claim that there is a very specific human instinct. I contend that there is a broad “religious instinct” which covers substantially more behavior than religious behavior. Every religion is a manifestation of the religious instinct, but not every manifestation is a religion.

My theory is that religion is only one of the mechanisms by which the instincts behind traditional religion can be served. Some atheists believe that if traditional religion disappeared then reason would prevail. In fact, there are numerous over-arching belief systems that serve the same functions as religion. They provide community, tribal identity, and simple answers to complex problems.