This happens everywhere religious or political views are being debated. Wow.
Anyway, religious beliefs have no place in today's society because we know better. During the middle ages, people had no idea about the natural world so they turned to a supernatural entity that governed the universe, and them personally. During the night, if you do not have light, a blind man is your best bet for getting from point A to point B. He knows the road better than anybody, because he does not need the light to walk. When the sun has risen, it would be foolish to follow a blind man, as your senses can give you more information than the blind man. It's all about the amount of information had. With today's technology and science, we know better than the middle age peasant. We know why the earth goes round the sun and why tides occur. Sure, there are somethings we do not know, but we will get there eventually. Religion is just a way for the blind man to explain something that he cannot see.
I fully agree with this sentiment. Man had nothing to explain common occurrences like we do with today's science. So, he made it up. It gave the people reassurance and confidence in those who made such statements and in the worthiness of their own lives. Unfortunately, it has been passed down so heavily that some (heavy emphasis) are unable to accept the cold truth that we live on a big rock floating through space with no purpose but to be eventually destroyed in the collapse of our solar system one day. It's hard to accept and is really terrifying that we live in a universe so vast that we can disappear as an insignificant dot.
Sure, false hope gives bliss to those who want a happy life, but it brings great sadness and conflict (I feel like I'm writing a Romeo and Juliet essay here), generations of hate that was not even intended by those who created such beliefs.
Furthermore, most seem to just cherrypick parts of their religion that they agree with, and ignore the rest. For example:
Deuteronomy 22:11 "Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together."
What? That's in the bible. It seems like I know a hell of a lot (pun not intended) of people 'going to hell' because they wear mixed fabrics. People just ignore it. Unfortunately, most don't ignore the hateful things in their religious texts, such as the (in)famous:
Leviticus 18:22 "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." (International Translation)
It is of my opinion, due to most scientific theory disproving many religious texts, which have not been proven originally, in combination with the blind hatred it can bring, that religion has no real place in an intelligent, united society. We may celebrate diversity of our world, but the very things that tear us apart are caused by ill belief.
Just my 2 cents.