Religion is nothing more than an acceptable way to be comfortable with the unknown. That’s really 100% of it.

No. It is a method by which large masses of people can be controlled. Large masses tend not to be able to control themselves.

No. Cause when you're dead you can't join shit.

Duhhhhh. Yes.

The religions that we know today are distinct in nature from general "religious" behaviors that occurred before the advent of agriculture. So that is at least very suggestive of the idea that they are a biocultural adaptation which is a response to the agricultural lifestyle we know as "civilization".

We were not biologically evolved to live and cooperate with large numbers of strangers, so modern religions' primary purpose is most likely to restrain certain of our animal instincts that would otherwise not be conducive to "civilized" life. In short, it's mostly about social cohesion and cooperation. Secondarily, it serves to ameliorate lots of different kinds of psychological problems, including fear of death.

I wish .
If they were only busy w death , what a great world will had be .
No . Death is the cash drop , the goose w the golden eggs , their favorite child , the never ending working prostitute for them . Still , will had be nice .
But religions are more concerned of telling us how to live r lives , bcz u know , a) they are good money into that too , b ) power /control / authority .
Keep the stupid stupider , and keep the bright down .

Pretty much

I'd say the idea of death is more of an opportunity to perpetuate a religion, both for the dying and for the mourners. It's a vulnerable time, when some people will grasp at anything to escape the reality that this physical being will be no longer, and they'll only live on in our hearts and memories, unless some long lasting legacy is left behind. Death is a time to be philosophical - but many opt for the easy religious explanations to keep their mind off the reality.

That’s gotta be a part of it but I don’t think the invention of religion was a conscious, deliberate act. I think it is the product of thousands of years of cultural evolution emerging from the collective unconscious. It didn’t solve just one problem but several.

Could it be more like fear of the loss of one’s ego? How desperate people are to be remembered in some way?

[google.com]

I think the very human thought “What am I supposed to do with my life?” would be more than enough to start religions.
In fact life after death seems to be a relatively late development. The underworld in Greek and Roman belief seems more like shades of people that once lived, forgetful and distracted, like a character that lives in a painting in Harry Potter.
In the Old Testament there’s no mention of anything like modern concepts of heaven or hell, it was a grave, the same for rich and poor, vile or pure, all went to the grave.

Is there any other example of an idea with zero evidence of ever being true having captivated such a huge and devoted following with such massive consequences for humanity?

The best I can manage is "trickle down economics" but it doesn't really have the global scope and impact other than indirectly via US hegemony. But to some extent almost every culture seems to have an equivalent concept of the trickle down myth - such as oligarchies with the myth of beneficent kings, lords, and emperors. Even religions double dip to incorporate their own version of it with tithing, and rules like "don't read the bible, listen to your preacher and he'lll tell you what it means and everything will be good - gods love and blessing will veritably trickle down to touch you... if you pray hard enough".

I'm sure you could probably create an ontology of conspiracy theories that manifest themselves almost everywhere in some form or other and are not all are dependent on life after death foundations like ghosts, ancestor worship, and other pseudo religious superstitious.

Death is the whole reason for Religion...nobody wants to accept that " this may be all there is"
There is so much that we don't understand about 1st) what reality really is and ... 2nd) is it possible to EVER understand our existence...enter the "GOD FACTOR"...Much simpler solution...allows us to rationalize without having to expend energy and time thinking "LOGICALLY and CRITICALLY" ... Add to that the "Devil made me do it" and voila'...we have a brain dead society with no conscience...jmho...Namaste

Ernest Becker wrote on “death denial” and a group of psychologists subsequently developed the field of “terror management theory”. There’s a documentary called Flight from Death that may be of some interest.

[ernestbecker.org]

[en.m.wikipedia.org]

[theguardian.com]

I think the fear of death, and finding a primitive way to explain things that are happening in the world.

Fear of death is the reason for the life after death farce.