For those who want to try and defend religion as having done some good...well, let' see now. Religion is believed to have inspired some men to do great works of art, mmk, we'll give them that. Religion helps some people cope with death, mmk, well other things do that as well and religion can hurt more in that field then help, since one has to constantly be afraid of stepping out of line with "God" and ending up eternally punished.

Now what has religion given to us that is wrong? It's created massive cultural and intelligent divides, which has lead to war, persecution, and technological retardation. Religion sets a precedent of absolute obedience to authority, for questioning said authority is merited the same as rebuking/ignoring it. It gives us a horrific moral code where every "sin" is as equally evil and morally wrong, including "sins" which have nothing to do with real human morality, but are instead arbitrary and ridiculous rules. It's told us that sex is original sin, and you're to be ashamed of "lusting" and meant to feel dirty over something that's complete natural for everyone who has went through puberty. It's told us that some people are simply freaks or abominations, i.e. Pagans/Gays, and that these people need to not simply be cast aside but killed. Hatred, xenophobia, slavery, genocide, and every other immoral quality our species has worked to overcome is a major theme in religion.

Every country with a heavy religious population and heavy religious influence in government is technologically and economically backwards, save for the United States, which is getting there and fast. Even England which is supposed to have head of church/state ties, is more secular than this country. Imagine if the golden age in Islam (math/science) hadn't been brought down by religious theocracy? They might've been the ones with the predator drones, helicopter gunships, and tomahawk missiles.

Even the Renaissance which is wrongly attributed to Christianity, had more to do with the geological spread of ideas and teachings, then by the merits of one religion. Christianity was what Islam is today, stuck in the dark ages. Islam won't suddenly become very important and go through its own renaissance, rather, as more people become educated and more information spreads via the internet, that will change the course of things in the Middle East, as it did for Christians so long ago.

Keep this/delete this, reality doesn't change. ;)