Antitheists and Atheists
This thread mostly concerns those that oppose theism, though not exclusively. Theists are still welcome to share their theory. But what I mostly want to know is what your interesting theories are for the creation of Abrahamic religion and how and why it evolved to become the world-wide phenomena it is today? Did it begin as some nefarious conspiracy involving a secret cabal to take over the world? Or did it all just come about by accident?
Example
I will give an example of a theory.
Based on the Wikipedia link below, one might conclude that Abrahamic religion began as an alternative means to conquering Canaan, and perhaps even usurping power away from the Egyptian pharaohs.
The Israelites and their culture, according to the modern archaeological account, did not overtake the region by force, but instead branched out of these Canaanite peoples and their cultures through the development of a distinct monolatristic—and later monotheistic—religion centered on Yahweh.[90][91][92][93][94][95]
Theories
So what are your theories regarding how it all began, and why?