Religious thinking is generally based on the belief in the existence of supernatural forces in the world. By definition they are beyond natural, one can say paranormal. At best this can make you believe in miracles or unicorns, but more often than not it induces paranoia (and quite often unconsciously). The accumulation of this unconscious paranoia eventually leads to a break down of rational thinking, as all explanations end up being attributed to paranormal causes.

A close look at history/ancient civilisations can clearly demonstrate how the belief in supernatural forces developed in a certain ancient human society as a core pillar of it's world view which in turn seems to have enabled it to spread in the same way that the Black Plague did throughout Europe in the 14th century or Capitalism through the World in the 19th.

There is nothing to ponder on here....the answer is yes they can be, indeed they are....it’s called being gullible and not having the ability to think for themselves.

I think that most adults are not really religious. They do it for the community, for the music, because it's tradition in the family, and so as not to anger/piss off their parents.

You should find more productive uses for your time, perhaps?