"There is an example from an African tribal religion that I like to use to explain religious stories.
There were specific tribes in the Congo who believed that parts of a river were cursed and that if you fished in those parts of the river, it would lead to the destruction of the village.
When the Europeans came, they investigated this curse and found no such thing. However, what they did find was that this was the fish breeding ground. If the Congolese did fish in this area, it would destroy the fish populations and likely leave them without food.
The Congolese had a story that was by no means based in facts (there was no curse). However, this story explained a truth about where they lived. That truth being that it would be bad for the village to fish in this area.
You can think of all of religion like this. Humans are rhetorical creatures. It is something humans are uniquely good at. It is why every people group across the entire world developed a religion. It is also why in the ages of secularism, religion is being replaced by other beliefs. Religion is an evolutionary trait that we will never truly be able to get rid of."
