Learn the true mercy

[Angrboda]

The issue here is unrelated to God's existence. Using religion for social control exists, and happened repeatedly. Nobody is denying this. But the truth-value of religion is clearly independent of religious people's intentions. And the same is true about science.

Not true. One explanation for religion is that it is true. Another is that it is false but serves useful, manipulative ends. The degree to which the probability of the latter is increased, the probability of the former is reduced. It's a simple argument to the most likely hypothesis.

---

You say religion is merely a tool of social control, this is clearly false as one can some simply hold the core beliefs of some religion without seeking any benefit or manipulating anyone.

Christianity, an obviously false belief, is still widespread despite losing all kinds of influence in the recent centuries. Clearly there is more to the story than just social control.

Besides, given that people like Stalin and Pol Pot existed and had a long and prosperous career of genocide and mass murder, one obviously doesn't need religion to rule people and convince them to do horrific things.

Ideologies are religions too.

Says who?