Final answer:
Religion helps to reduce anxiety and increase control by offering explanations for existential questions, providing emotional comfort through rituals, defining moral behavior, and fostering social support within religious communities. These aspects contribute to an individual's sense of personal control and reduce stress.
Step-by-step explanation:
Religion can be a source of comfort and can help individuals reduce anxiety/increase control in their lives. By providing answers to existential questions like "Is there a plan for our lives?" and "Is there an afterlife?", religion offers a framework for understanding the world and our place in it. Religious rituals and the belief in a divine plan can offer order and comfort, especially in times of crisis. These rituals and beliefs can also contribute to a sense of personal control; when individuals perceive that they have influence over the events in their lives, they tend to experience less stress and anxiety.
Furthermore, religion often prescribes rules of behavior, defining what is morally acceptable and unacceptable, which can provide a sense of control over one's actions and consequences in both the physical and spiritual realms. Additionally, the social support and group cohesion found within religious communities offer a network for individuals to connect, share similar values, and find assistance in times of need, strengthening their ability to cope with life's challenges. Finally, by attributing human qualities to divine beings, religion makes it easier for people to relate to and find comfort in their belief systems.