Pew Research

[Neo-Scholastic]

That cuts both ways. Wanting to escape feelings of shame in this world and the prospect of judgement in the next could also be considered a kind of crutch.

Gosh, ya got me. I'm just soooooooooo bad.

The idea here is that attributing a large group's beliefs or lack thereof to ulterior motives is a problematic generalization. I think calling religious belief is a "crutch" is not totally inaccurate despite the fact that it puts things in the least favorable light. Asking a higher power to give one the strength to persevere and overcome challenges seems, even from a purely psychological perspective, better than thinking you can do it all yourself. No one wants to face hardship alone. Believing that someone has your back can give hope and courage when otherwise all seems lost. Or at least it does me. If that's a crutch then I'll gladly take it.