[Coffee.]

I think some religions were created to control the masses. Remember that control isn't necessarily a bad thing; often, we give examples of control as Hitler rather than just a city with laws. If we didn't have laws, there would be chaos. Not all, but many laws are just and a good for societies. Religion is the same way. Many could say that Christianity is used to control by telling us not to kill people, to be productive, to help others, etc. These aspects are incredibly productive to society and others. If by giving people hope of an afterlife, they become more productive, don't kill each other, and live a happier life, who is to say that's a bad thing? But I definitely think religion has often been used to control, and not always positively.

I also think it's been used to explain phenomenons, especially before we had science and more definitive evidence to explain things. Now religion is often used as an alternative to this evidence (which can be negative, but not always) or ideas to pair with science and other explanations.