Is Religion an Attempt to Understand the World?

[no one]

Human beings are ignorant, so yes, in its initial concepts, religion is nothing more than an attempt by primitive people to make sense of a world full of natural sciences they had no comprehension of. Humans are also remarkably cunning, deceptive, and manipulative, it wasn't until it was realized what a capable conditioning and controlling tool it was, was it forged to construct it as a weapon. Lastly, humans are also incredibly arrogant, they are convinced of the extraordinary value of their own self-worth.  They confuse their own consciousness and ability to contemplate as a conduit to the divine, instead of the banal, uninspiring byproduct of evolution that it actually is.