Jared Diamond in his book:
Guns, germs, and steel : the fates of human societies
Author: Diamond, Jared M.
Publisher, Date: New York : W.W. Norton, c1997.Edition: 1st ed.
suggests that the geography of Europe which fosteredmany small nations struggling for survival and supremacy resulted in competitive warfare which culminated in a technology race that greatly spurred on science.
China was far more homogenous and less subject to competitive pressures and found equilibrium.
The book is a good read at any rate.
Morris Berman is his book:
Wandering God : a study in nomadic spirituality / Morris Berman. Author: Berman, Morris, 1944-
Publisher, Date: Albany : State University of New York Press, c2000.
explores the notion that religions were necessary to induce large numbers of people to live a cooperative agricultural life and cope with the stresses of living with "strangers" rather than return to natural sized bands.
I found both authors persuasive but I'm not an expert in their fields and can't adequately critique their arguments. I recommend Berman's book as offering a way to look at the problem you've noted.
I think religion served a function and that function remains necessary for the majority of people to this day. Will humanity outgrow it? Will it develop a more "rational" bonding mechanism? I've no idea but would like to think so.
lfen