The combination of greater material comfort, better education, and the behavior of many religious leaders is my guess.
For me, the answer's simple. If Gawd's so fired up for me to believe in him, all he needs to do is swing by for a cup of coffee.
That if it weren't a complete fantasy, it'd be a rigged game. You start out losing, and have to beg, literally on your knees, to avoid horrible punishment for existing.
In what way is the object of this lesson not obvious? It teaches servility.