I don't know what kinda religious people your debating that would give you such a lame explanation of their beliefs but in my eyes religion boils down to one issue .
Faith .
That's the one word explanation why any educated human being believes in God , something inside them/us tells us there is a God so our interest is piqued & we study the scriptures available to us , once a person understands God's words from educating themselves they are drawn further into Faith ,or dismiss religion as a hoax used to control humanity in a time where people needed the most basic structure of laws .
I was raised in a Christian family & chose not to believe as a child , as a man I studied several religions & read the Old Testament & New Testament , what I learned & felt while studying awoke a feeling in me where I knew there was a God , after meeting my wife who is Muslim I read the Quran & what I learned only reinforced my belief in God because the teachings are so similar .
In order to believe in God one must have Faith , with that Faith comes an understanding that there are many unexplained issues science can't explain & the origins of God is one of the issues man has yet to understand ,or God's origins were lost to the ages .
Why is knowing how God was created having an effect on your beliefs ?