People seem to be hardwired to seek some form of religious expression. Even atheists religiously defend their faith in the nonexistence of God. This would be a good thing except for the fact that the temples of men are run by wolves in sheeps clothing who "desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers".
The gospels indicate that most of the problems Jesus ran into were from people who religiously went to church/temple regularly. By contrast, devils like Hitler and George W. Bush receive great praise from the aforementioned wolves:
And, of course, we all know how President George W. Bush considered his "war president" policies to be the Will of God.
Dare I mention Elijah Muhammed's well-known sexual predation? Nope, not going to go there. I will get into less trouble by pointing to Bishop Eddie Long's lust for young boys, or the same problem demonstrated by the growing list of catholic priests whose victims have grown up and are now insisting their accusations be taken seriously by Rome's formerly Hitler Youth Pope ...
My point. Religion is not, in and of itself, a problem. It has the potential to play a positive role in any society. The red words in the four gospels of the bible are rich with Truth which could liberate societies from the wickedness which plagues them now.
But, no, that doesn't happen because men seek the praise of the aforementioned wolves in sheep's clothing instead of seeking the Kingdom of God.