Thought comes first? Really? On a purely sequential level that is correct. But billions of people have believed based on nothing more than an emotional response to a 'miracle' or some other unexplained phenomenon. Or to some motivational speech by a preacher or president. Very little real 'thought' went into their beliefs. Emotions and beliefs are more closely related than are thoughts and beliefs. Religious and political leaders have known this for thousands of years. Appealing to base emotions makes true believers. Only those who think, explore and gain an in-depth knowledge can escape traps or develop understanding. Religion is an opiate for the masses, as it enables believers to rely on feelings and emotions rather than tax their gray matter to actually figure things out. Or they control knowledge, as did the Catholic church for hundreds of years and the Borg continues to do.
This in part explains why atheists - and secular/atheists societies - typically have more education and higher IQs than theists and religious socieities. Predicatably.