The problem is that religion perpetuates itself by adherence to a set of shared beliefs, so it cannot survive a significant proportion of followers saying "these beliefs aren't literally true but the benefits of community and belonging are absolutely worth it."
If faking belief weren't so detrimental to the soul it would be an obvious choice for those people with a stubborn habit of needing proof.
Needing proof certainly can be annoying habit, especially when it comes to matters of meaning and purpose which is what religion provides for a lot of people.
People find meaning and purpose in science too, but of course if you dig far enough you realize that that the proof problem is never really solved.
So, you gotta have faith wherever you turn. One of the reasons I've also become more open to spirituality as time has humbled me a bit.
If faking belief weren't so detrimental to the soul it would be an obvious choice for those people with a stubborn habit of needing proof.