Are religions mere fairytales that help people cope with the challenges of life and mortality?

Maybe. If so, then reality would leave us only with science – evolution, the big bang, etc. I have climbed the summits of science to admire the view, but from there I did not see a happy horizon. Admit it or not, those of an atheistic or purely scientific mindset still must make leaps of faith… and toward an end that is bleak. I accept Christianity, seeing it as my destiny to do so. If it is a myth, at least it serves as a moderating force in my life. It keeps me from killing my neighbor, faithful to my wife, striving toward goodness, and offers peace of mind about death. Without it I would be on a path of destruction and maybe despair, or already dead. Some say that to many have killed in the name of God and cast insults at believers. But secular and atheistic communism kills in the name of the greater good, or whatever. Humans kill for anything, or nothing. This issue is not a deterrent to believing in God, and so I do. To me the universe does not make sense otherwise. I reached these conclusions using the shortsighted logic of my mind. And beyond the logic is much more.  The substance of my faith increases as God blesses me more and more with understanding as time goes by.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 
John 1:5