Hey, peter... excellent post. For the record, I wasn't apologising for my dislike of religion, I still stand by it... I personally believe that everything that is REAL in the world will one day be destroyed by something UNREAL, ie the concept of some big sky fairy (in various forms and incarnations, all dating back to days before the concept of science) that one bunch of idiots will use as an excuse to annihilate another bunch of idiots...
But some human beings do need reassurance that their brief life isn't going to end and the people they love so much haven't just disintegrated into the ether. I might not share that belief but I wouldn't begrudge them that comfort. Heck, my Mum still sees 'signs' that her father, my Grandad, is still around... I wouldn't dream of hurting her with a rant about my anti-religion beliefs....
But that's the nice side of religion and you're absolutely right about the rest of it...