I have a hard time seeing the reasoning behind the argument that religion is for controlling the masses. I think in its purest form, that is, the true teachings as opposed to someone's deliberate attempt to distort a holy book for their own gain, are a means to avoid eternal death. This goes to show how far we have come as humans in my opinion. From cavemen inventing better tools for survival to medicines that prolong life, we have been able to adapt to live longer. Religion is the acknowledgement that as mortals there is unavoidable death no matter how hard we try to use nature to our benefit. Religion is also the response to this and 'ensures' there will always be a tomorrow for eternity, effectively avoiding death altogether.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
