I don't think science and religion are non-overlapping magisteria. I think science explains why we have religion. Religion reduces anxiety, in particular about death, but also about relationships. The metaphysics of religion aren't empirically based, but they are reassuring. The metaphysics filled in to explain what people did not know but were concerned about. They tell you how to defeat death, through moral behavior. Religion encourages compassion towards one's co-religionists, and cooperation helps us survive. There probably was a lot of trauma in the ancestral environment. Religion was a way to cope with the trauma and learn secure attachment. Religion is more about having good relationships than being punished for evil. It stimulates oxytocin, which makes us more social. It might be superstitious, but superstition might help us survive. We weren't selected for our beliefs about reality.
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