I realize this is extremely simplistic - and one-sided given that it doesn't say anything negative about atheists and doesn't say anything positive about religions. However, it does line out some of the terrible problems with various belief systems, none of which, in my mind, is balanced by the "good" of religion.
I say this mainly because there is no need of religion to be good. People would do the same neutral and altruistic deeds (for that matter, the same evil deeds) without religion being a factor. The negative things blamed on religions in this list would still exist, but could conceivably happen in much smaller numbers and, more importantly, would not be able to be institutionalized, normalized, or argued for/against under the guise of "respect" of religious belief.
Lastly, I believe discussions regarding things such as abortion, the death penalty, and marriage would be more civil without the emotionally charged anger that people exhibit when they feel the essence of their personality is being challenged. Religion is a huge part of how people define themselves. This is not surprising to me since so much religious indoctrination is done before a child has any real concept of what his beliefs or personality are. I think this plays a part in why people react so angrily to any reasonable thinker who says that religion is unnecessary and that god doesn't exist. It seems as if when a person's identity is tied up in a belief so pervasive, the confusion of having the belief challenged brings on some sort of mental and emotional survival instinct which is manifested by a reaction similar to a fight-or-flight reaction.
What say you?
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