A student once asked me how I, a psychiatrist, can believe in God. He went on to express his disappointment that even educated people end up believing in what he called unscientific concepts.
My answer was simple.
I do have my doubts. I cannot say with certainty that God exists. And it is entirely possible that the form in which we imagine God is completely off the mark.
But the idea of God has clear and significant benefits for mankind.
The perceived presence of God gives people hope. It gives them strength during difficult times. It offers answers, or at least comfort, to deeply painful questions such as what happens after death.
At a personal level, I do listen to devotional music.
Durga Kshamastotram, Namami Shamishan, and other prayers bring me a sense of peace and calm. Sometimes I pray to God to give me the strength to work harder & do the right thing, and it makes me feel better. For me, that's a reason good enough to have faith.
The concept of God serves a very clear purpose. That is precisely why it has survived for thousands of years, and I do not think it is going away anytime soon.
The argument that if God exists, why He allows suffering in the world to continue, is an excellent one. I am yet to hear a truly satisfying answer to this question. But one thing is clear. Religion does make suffering more tolerable, at least to some extent. Perhaps that is why, when life becomes harder, people often pray more instead of questioning God.
Religion finds a way to persist, perhaps because it serves a deeply rooted human need.