Mammals and some other animals have a need for religion. When a new-born or new-hatched creature comes into this world, they develop a bond with the creature they see first. This is a function of empathy. I don't know how many animals have this capacity in their genes, but most humans and many other animals do. It is true that some individuals are born (and possibly hatched) without this capacity, but that has nothing to do with the overwhelming need in their species to identify with others (presumably their own species, but not always.) This attachment to others may be the start of religion, but for humans, the need to find meaning continues that need. We humans think too much. We realize our mortality. We need to understand what we are, and we think in terms of what the purpose of our life is. There is nothing wrong with religion providing comfort in this quest. It is just that there is power in this form of thought. There are those who are born without empathy or were trai
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