Religion has helped maintain civilization where laws have failed us. Legislators gather everyday to enact laws that are considered inferior by most citizens and hence, they go about breaking those laws where as religion has been made a part of us such that even though we go astray from our teachings we have a consciousness  that tells us how wrong we are and should seek retribution. This is a self conscious thought without an enforcing body telling us what to do and i believe this makes us quite human and not animals.