If there were no such thing as religion, how would those who are now believers define the unexplainable?

Question

I ask this because the term "miracle" would likely not exist.

Answer 1

I think... you are correct

Well, since science can not explain so much I guess people would just make up reasons.

Somehow I think you are hinting to the origin of religion as being made up when science failed to explain things. Touche. But sorry, Christianity is still the one for me.

Answer 2

If there were no such thing as religion... humanity would have invented it.
You would need to be fatefully intervening to prevent the invention of religion constantly throughout the entire history of humankind.

In order for humanity to naturally never have invented religion... it would need to have evolved from totally non-reasoning to complex, multi-stage reasoning in one generation (or at least a very small number, with a gratuitous amount of luck involved). As you might expect, that just isn't possible... as evolution is a slow and gradual process.
Since most of humanity in this day and age still has difficulty applying reason to most aspects of their lives (yes, even you will find areas of your life where you abandon reason if you search for them), it is little wonder that their reasoning capabilities are flawed at best and they will draw shortcuts to invalid conclusions.

As such... if for an instant you gave people in your analogy the choice to try and find an answer for the unexplainable... just a brief moment.... religion would be invented and promptly spread like a disease, just as it does in the world we know.

Answer 3

We would ascribe causality to the words random and chance thus making random and chance the equivalent of a god. Same as some scientists do now. We would constantly just say that things happen by chance.

Answer 4

Then everybody would have the courage and candor to admit: I know not! We would be saved the arrogance of the boundless presumption that masquerade in the name of knowledge or "miracle".

Answer 5

dumb luck