The origins of religion are logical. Primative man overwhelmed by the sun and the stars in the sky, the rhythm of the seasons, the destructive forces of nature. Sacrificial ceremonies and cults beget high priests, shamans and mysticism, begets religion and organized religion.
Those in charge see it as a valuable tool. You can control people, get their money, get them to do anything. If we think it's tied to politics today, imagine three thousand years ago. A cause to rally armies against other nations for conquest.
As for society, people seem to need (more so in the past than today, but still today) to believe in a higher order and a life after death experience, preferalbly one with rewards and paradise.
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