Back to the idea of gods.
Throughout history, religion has been used to control. An eternal motivator is the best afterall. A prime exampe would be throughout the middle ages in europe. There only the elite were even allowed to "read" the bible. They used religion as a way to dictate to the common people "stay in line"
In hunter-gatherer societies, the shaman use thier so-called "exclusive" ways of speaking to higher beings in their own quest for power. The shaman is fed, clothed, and given material possesions by the community. When in reality he contributes nothing. The shaman simply manipulates the masses into believing that there are higher beinggs and that only he can communicate with them.
In today's societies, places of worship are still based on power. Religion is a great motivator. But without religon, where would we be as a people. Some argue that we would lose morality because we would have nothing to fear in the form of eternal punishment. That is why the people in power, throughout history, have used religion to keep those under their control from rebelling.
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