The core of belief systems like Christianity and Islam are built upon its followers having faith (i.e. belief in scientific/historical claims without any supporting evidence). The primary required idea to be believed in is the existence of a god (for the world's most popular religions).
The idea of a god existing, on its surface, seems ridiculous from the atheist point-of-view. Atheists in general have trouble understanding why believers believe what they do. Atheists, when thinking about the existence of anything, look at it with logical-based analysis (is there evidence? is it credible? etc.), while often assuming others do as well. What must be understood is that believers (Christians, Jews, Muslims etc.) don't believe in God because it is logical to them, they believe for emotional reasons (primarily peace-of-mind). It is not the details of the belief which is important (e.g., talking snakes and virgin births), but rather, the way such beliefs make them feel. The human mind is wired to accept an idea more easily if the information is enjoyable to contemplate, than if the idea is boring or in conflict with their particular world-view. The idea of a loving-god can generate a pleasant well-being. Having what is believed as the most powerful conscious being in the universe on your side is an amazing placebo when life feels overwhelming and depressing. The idea of God makes people view the world as if they have total control over it (or at least their imaginary friend does), giving them the cognitive ability to overcome any emotional hardship. Once the idea of a god enters someones mind, and they utilize it for consoling purposes, it becomes very hard to remove—as hard as any drug dependency.
God is more than consolation however. God is a being which has magical powers; i.e. he can turn water into wine and impregnate virgins (proof scripture was written by man). There is something very euphoric about being in the state of wonder. Our world only gets boring when we feel we understand it. This is why magicians like David Blaine get such a following. It isn't exactly what magicians do that is important, but the way they make people feel. Having a sense of wonder is another great coping mechanism (any distraction from pain or boredom is). Not everyone is intelligent enough to be able to comprehend scientific ideas, so they are unable to get any sense of wonder from thinking about them (because they can't). Science is great for creating a sense of wonder, every time something new is learned, for that moment, the world is not boring, it is interesting. The great thing about science and wonder is that the more questions science answers, the more questions are thought of to be asked. But, let's say you are not the sharpest tool in the shed, if you are exposed to science, but are unable to understand it, you are unable to absorb it, and unable to escape the boredom and/or pain. God may be good for certain people that are unable to get a feeling of wonder from science. God creates a sense of wonder in the same way that a sugar pill can relieve headaches; if you know it is a placebo, it probably won't work, and you may not understand how it works for others.
disclaimer
I wrote this post relatively quickly (like the majority of my posts), so it may sound like a rant.
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