Many respected scientists believe that there is no such thing as free will and it is an illusion made up by society. Whether it is real, society (religious or non religious) as a whole must believe in free will even if it doesn’t exist. This is because our criminal justice system would break down if we can’t hold people responsible for their actions. Richard Dwakins has said there is no such thing as free will but "it is an inconsistency that we sort of have to live with otherwise life would be intolerable” and to quote the novelist Isaac Bashevis “We must believe in free will, we have no choice,”
Cheers!
Ian