Based on a discussion I had with my wife, I started to compare the situation of people who are a member of a religious organisation or are devout to a belief, to the so-called Stockholm syndrome. The Stockholm syndrome is where feelings of trust or affection is felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim towards a captor.
In such a situation, the person being kidnapped is not free to leave and is held against their will but over time takes that situation as a "new normal" and even starts to see their kidnapper(s) as normal people. A new type of relationship starts. As long as the person being kidnapped does not challenge the kidnapper for the fact that your are kidnapped and remain to have hope to be released one day, the relationship between kidnapper and the person being kidnapped starts to become "normal".
People who are religious have a relationship with their God. They follow their God or the people who represent their God. They will not challenge their God for the situation they are in. They have hope one day things will be better (for them). They forget that their belief is actually kidnapping them. They are accepting things that others would normally not. They even might find excuses for certain events.
OK, may be not a 100% similar situation as the Stockholm syndrome but I do see parallels.