Religion has staying power though.. It involves our hopes and fears about eternity. Religion fluorishes in oppressive atmospheres and even manages to hold on through good times. Religion has existed in some form at least as long as we have historical (or scriptural)_ records and probably well before that. There is evidence that early man and even some of the animals have reverence for their dead which implies that there is belief that the dead aren't gone -- just changed.
At its best religion gives people direction and comfort and encourages good. Unfortunately, religion is rarely at its best.
In its ordinary face religion encourages divisiveness, feelings of superiority, and exclusion of everyone not of one's own faith. I am absolutely certain that is not a good thing. I don't know how far it can be traced back but we do know that as long as we have records the people of one religion have felt called by God to kill people of another religion. It still goes on today.
I propose that no religion is "right" but that all have their basies in what would have been economic, political and social conditions of the time in which they arose. I have several reasons for thinking this.
First, assuming that there is a God and that He has the attributes we claim, why on earth would He keep switching sides? Is life a big game? Maybe, but if so, does that kind of God really seem worthy of any kind of worship?
OK, maybe you think He didn't switch sides. Maybe you believe that He modified the rules as we matured and could understand more complex ideas. I don't think so. People have not changed significantly within recorded history. We could have understood what Christ said way back when the Hebrews were reportedly enslaved in Egypt.
And then there's Muhammad. Basically what Christ said but with a few new things pertaining to dress, economics and equality. Rather an improvement considering the time and place, but the dress code is completely unsuited to any climage other than the climate in which it was set forth. Oh, it would work well in Arctic or sub-arctic climates if the loose robes were exchanged for heavier garments, but in warm, humid climates it can kill people.
Never mind that for now. The point is, because we don't have a global religion, what we do have is dangerous. It would help if we would compare areas in which the various religions are alike and eliminate the glaring differences.
As far as I know, all religions encourage charity, love, modesty and humility. Let's keep those things and throw out dress codes and specific demands such as dancing with snakes, no dancing at all, singing, celibacy of the priesthood -- or for that matter, the priesthood itself. Many churches get along quite nicely without paid clergy to soak up the profits that could otherwise go to charity.
