What is the function of religion?

[Hegel]

Yeah, some people do have a legitimate benefit of the mental placebo effect. It also has ruined countless lives, both in the direct fashion of religious conflicts, slavery, genocide and persecution, and in the indirect manner that results in religious-inspired child abuse (of which there are many kinds), the destruction of livelihoods, the demonization of individuals whose lifestyles are considered unacceptable, the resistance to legitimate science which leads to unprepared and ignorant children. The list of just the indirect negatives of religion could take up many threads.

Well, I think the only point you are really right about is that religious dogmi tends to make people ignorant about science, at least to the extent it is opposed to these dogmi, and that some religious moral codes (e.g. concerning homosexuality) are out-dated. Sure, I fully agree.

But on the other hand ... I have read about results which claim that religious people are, on average happier and have less problems with drugs, have smaller divorce rate etc, compared to non-religous folks.

And in the West religious people produce more children ... The population growth is a huge problem in the IIIrd world, and religion plays here a crucial role, but on the other hand, in the West, the birth rates of purely secular people are dangerously low.

So, its not as simple as you make it appear.

A fact: on this planet, no society has ever attempted to exist without a religion (or a leader-worship system which was functionally identical to a religion). Let's actually try the experiment before we declare it a failure.

Sure. but am I incorrect if a maintain that one should have proper understanding of religion so that, in getting rid of it, one does not throw a child away with the washing water? I am NOT claiming that you couldn't have all the benefits of religion without the bullshit, but I am less certain how our current hegemonic secularism accomplishes this task.