Religion is the belief in a supernatural Being (or beings) that has control over human life and destiny. Religions develop out of curiosity and fear of uncontrollable forces in the universe, especially death, and become a means to hope for immortality or life after death, for a kind Creator who watches over humanity, and for an ultimate meaning to life.
All religions involve the pious submission of human minds to the authoritative teachings of their elders as the intellectual basis of faith. In practically all religious systems there are also a variety of spiritual and moral virtues that form the emotional basis of religion: faith, love, and zeal. In most cases these cooperating virtues have God as their direct object; for example, a devotion to the Divine leads to prayer and a desire for forgiveness of sins. In some lower grades of religion, however, hope is largely or even entirely absent and the love of God for His own sake is not developed.
Psychologists, scientists who study the mind and emotions, argue that humans need to believe in a supernatural Being to deal with the emotional and psychological problems they encounter in life, such as fear of death and the need for purpose in life. Neuroscientists have also discovered brain circuitry associated with intense religious experiences. Others, such as sociologists and historians, point out that to understand religion as a system of beliefs or even as any subjective states is to misunderstand the nature of human religiosity.