Is Religion Right or Wrong for Humanity?

It is considered to be self-evident that religion in-and-of itself has many advantages:
1. Religion is a source of hope and optimism
2. Religion promotes feelings of good will and sense of belonging
3. Religion supports healthy awareness of self and others

As with all elements of life, there is the other side of the coin:

1. Edgar Pearlstein said, "religion is divisive and provides impetus for discrimination, cruelty, family breakup, and persecution toward those of different religion. Religion is a medium for some people's hypocrisy. Even murder and child neglect are sometimes ordered by the god."
2. "One who spoke “twisted things” was the Roman Catholic theologian Augustine. Jesus had taught his followers to convince others by reasoning from the Scriptures. However, Augustine twisted the meaning of Jesus’ words recorded at Luke 14:23, “Compel them to come in,” to mean that it was all right to use force in the work of converting people. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 28:23, 24) Augustine used religion to control people," adds Nando Rodriguez. 

And then there is the invite of what "type" of religion we mean here:

Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings?

"Just to let you guys know, I'm atheist, but I find something a bit misleading about this statement. Let's refer to the invention of the atomic bomb, and the decision to bomb Hiroshima-Nagasaki and how it whipped out more innocent people than all the people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack. I'm pretty sure this scientific invention didn't take those Japanese people to the moon. I'm not denying that religion hasn't done horrible things in this world. I'm just saying science also has caused evil things for NON-RELIGIOUS PURPOSES."-Disorderly Conduct Online

And then there is the point where worlds collide: 

Israeli Army/Church of Israel

A. Hitler/Catholic Church

Al-Qaida/Islamist Church

US Armed Forces/Christian Church

-DeMaster Thomas-