[citation needed]. Religion is as old as civilization, all the way back to Mesopotamia.
I think you're right that it stems from a need to explain the unknown, which is why with modern science we have atheism on the rise. But I don't think your pessimism is entirely warranted. A church hosting a free BBQ is not "grifting"
Fear and agent detection had to exist before belief in a higher power. My guess is intellect had to as well. IMO it's unlikely religion (co)evolved before or with hominins. Regardless I doubt it's possible to find evidence of religion in species going back millions of years.
> A church hosting a free BBQ is not "grifting"
Having been a deacon at a church hosting state-funded food drives, I can tell you it's never completely free of strings. Even if the funding or food is supposed to be distributed without proselytizing.
They are always looking to spread their message, even if the unpleasant aspects are neatly tucked away for later. And the quiet part rarely spoken is they are seeking 10+% of your income, your volunteering time, your attention, and especially your children.
> I think you're right that it stems from a need to explain the unknown, which is why with modern science we have atheism on the rise.
I would pause before making a causal claim. There is a correlation yes, and you see this particularly in demographics whose religions are unable to cope with the false dichotomy that is presented in front of them, so to them the only solution is to turn to atheism or agnosticism and even, ironically perhaps, scientism as we see quite prevalent today.
From our Islamic worldview, we don't see any dichotomies between scientific discoveries furthering our understanding of the world, and the existence of God. It's actually the other way around, we see the world as a sign of God, and the more we learn about it, the more we learn about His Magnificence. The Quran encourages us to learn about the world around us. After all, Islam was the main driving force that brought us the Islamic Golden Age.
The existence of a god is an extraordinary claim, and requires extraordinary evidence. To flatly attribute everything to an invisible and inaudible creator is just blind faith. If based on the word of someone claiming divine revelation, that's just appeal to authority.
I think you're right that it stems from a need to explain the unknown, which is why with modern science we have atheism on the rise. But I don't think your pessimism is entirely warranted. A church hosting a free BBQ is not "grifting"