In a nutshell, what I've read recently about the so-called redeemer religions:
The original nature-based religions fulfilled the basic needs of humanity, but the arrival of the dominator patriarchal Judeo-Christian/Islam faiths quashed what truly satisfied man's spiritual and physical requirements. What was created was an artifice that perplexed the practical-minded indigenous folk who were converted -- or not -- by the sword. Their culture, their writings, their lives were destroyed.
Invented -- ??? -- was the supreme father deity, his choosing of a special people, his giving them a unique work (preaching salvation) and, last, his visiting destruction (Apocalypse) upon those not heeding said message.
Sound familiar?
CC