What Gives You Peace....

[brewer]

Couldn't the same be said for any groups promoting social enrichment/benefit?

This could also be used to explain the influence of cults.

I'm not asking if there aren't secular means to find happiness. What I'm asking is: can religious belief provide a sort of happiness that is on par with nonreligious ways? Or is the "bad" that comes with embracing a religious outlook so great, that the best answer is to never even attempt to bolster your happiness with religious experiences?

I did mention cults in my above post. To me, all religious organizations have a "cultiness level."

For example, Jim Jones's church would have a cultiness level of 100%.

The Hare Krishnas: 70%. A fundamentalist Baptist church maybe 55%. You mentioned your wife being a "cafeteria Catholic" ... so the cultiness of her particular situation may only be 5% (or something)-- I'm just throwing out numbers.

The point is, all religious groups are coercive to some degree (even if it's very minor). And I think a good counterargument to William James's thesis above is: Belief or religious activity opens you up to religious coercion. That may potentially outweigh any potential benefits it provides.

Didn't mention cults in the post I responded to.

I know plenty of "religious" people who are not into it for the religion/belief but the community. The herd can fulfill a lot of needs. 

I think problems begin when the person is open to compromise of their individual values. Religion requires sheep.