Do you believe?

So, I was originally going to title this post, 'the world has turned and left me here' after the weezer song. But then I didn't know what I would talk about. So, instead, I listened to that song a little more, and the chorus goes, 'Do you believe?' over and over, so I thought I would talk about religion a little bit. Side note- Can you believe Rivers Cuomo is 41? HOLY SHIT. He still looks like he's fourteen.
Anyways, I think religion is a super interesting topic, right up there next to politics and sex. The three greatest motivators of human nature. Well, and money... but money is boring. Since I'm sort of an asshole, I often confrontationally challenge people's religious beliefs. Yes, I know, I'm a mean girl. But it's really because I want people to UNDERSTAND, really understand why they believe what they do. Personally, I'm an atheist, because, let's face it, God is a fundamentally ridiculous concept. But I'm not here to argue, I'm here to explain.
Unlike a lot of atheists (often referred to as 'militant atheists'), I'm not the sort of person who believes religion is evil, and should be abolished. I think... I think religion is, at its deepest core, an invention created to comfort people. I think religion certainly has its place in society- but unfortunately, religion also creates conflict.
Do I think it would be better for humans if there was no religion? Well, yes and no. If everyone had the same religion, there would be no conflict... but, it's in human nature to disagree, that's why religion evolves over time- Christians were born out of Judaism, Protestants were born of Catholics... and I'm sure there are more specific examples of religious divisions but I wasn't given a religious upbringing so I'm afraid I have a poor understanding of the different sects, or branches, or parts, or somethings, of Christianity, despite being raised in what I like to refer to as a Southern backwater.
So... I understand why people believe what they do, I just wish they were more aware of their own religion, and what faith really is, and why it needs to be separate from other parts of thought, and if they actually truly believe, or if... or if they've just been indoctrinated by their mother and father and school and friends and culture. And I think that's something EVERYONE has to ask themselves, not just the religious folks.
It's late at night so I'm not really sure what I'm talking about. I'll read it back in the morning and edit it down.