unpersuasive

something I saw or heard or read recently made me think of a few questions I'd like to address in an unpersuasive essay -- meaning, written merely for my own purposes, and not intending to convince anyone of an opinion on the matter. the five questions are as follows:

1 - what is religion?
2 - why do so many people believe in a religion, or religion in general?
3 - why has religion been a part of humanity for so long? (connected question: how long do secular sorces say religion has been around?)
4 - what are the main arguments against religion?
5 - how does the gospel as preached by the lds church answer these arguments?

I've got some notes already, and it will be a good topic to research. there isn't a particular rhyme or reason for doing this, other than it interested me, and I feel the need to think out my personal views in silent rebuttal to the many people who claim that religion is humanity's biggest downfall, that it cages us and ties us down unnecessarily. (and yes, in case you were wondering, I do plan on using alma 30 -- it's an excellent example of the logic used to discredit religion.) so that's my project for now. more info on it as I get more research done.