Do you think religion is holding society back?

[Astonished]

I have been watching the Alien vs Predator films lately. (I really enjoy them) But I am just sitting here thinking: I wonder if we will ever achieve that same level of technology? The other thought was that things like religion being so intertwined with our government (you know, people like Trump) will simply prevent this from ever happening. Then again perhaps that sort of technology is simply just a pipe dream, and it's simply something that Hollywood has a monopoly on.

Religions worldwide throughout our species history have always been slow to progress. It isn't one label, but our species fear of change. Our species evolved to be social and set up social structures. Unfortunately we did not have our current modern understanding of scientific reality. Our species also is tribal, no different than when other primates will compete among themselves over resources.

I'd recommend watching the new 13 part Cosmos series with Neil Degresse Tyson to get a good picture of how humans really are not different in this aspect. The gatekeepers of any given society, just like a dominate primate in a troupe does not like it's position challenged. 

Now, having said that, I really warn atheists not to think a godless / religion free world is possible. There is no such thing as a utopia, and their won't be a perfect atheist world either. The only thing our species can do long term is foster the idea of more education and more economic stability for more. We can work to get governments worldwide to value the concept of neutrality and protection of human rights. 

Religion IS a horrible way to conduct national political diplomacy much less global diplomacy. But you will never completely get rid of it. You can only insist on neutral laws and common law that protects everyone.

Of course a utopia is not possible but the net gain from the castration of religion worldwide would be so massive it would be enough just seeing what that would yield. No rational skeptic is going to have such unrealistic delusions of grandeur, that's for the theists to entertain, but for most of us, just seeing whatever existing religions that currently dominate lose all political, financial and other significant means of power, would make the world good enough. Perfect? Fuck no, and to even aspire to that is foolhardy. A realistic big picture is the only thing that makes sense to pursue.