Re: What causes religion?
Speaking from a secular standpoint, it can be explained by evolutionary psychology, although psychology based on evolution does assume much, I still think it makes sense. I think it s a few things.
First, Humans have a natural tendency to experience the presence of the unseen. Another words, sensing a presence regardless of whether or not one is present. It is a survival tactic. Our ancestors, who were always on the look out for the unseen (Lions etc), were more likely to survive.
Scale this up, and even as we settled into large communities, guarded by walls, we still harbored this anxiety of the unseen. We still believe that on some level there is a presence.
Secondly, the human mind yearns to make sense of things. It wants to see patterns, wants to see meaning, even where none exist. Again, patterning ones environment helps to make it more predictable and thus makes it easier to survive. This all comes together to bring order to chaos, and reduces the anxiety in life.
Hence believing in the unseen, and mind wanting to create meaning produces deities to explain things, and mythology to weave it all together.