Generally Speaking, Is Religion Good or Bad for Humanity

It's almost heresy to ask such a question. An apologist has proposed religion is good. His explanation has some holes in it.

He admits societies with the most religion generally are the poorest and conversely those with less of it have higher standards of living. The U.S. is an exception to that rule, prosperous but quite religious.

Then he goes through the usual litany of reasons why religion might contribute to better societies. There have been any number of questionnaire studies asking people if they are "happy?" The results show those with lots of religion say they are more happy than those with less. Studies also show there are fewer divorces. There is evidence that children of couples, married and not married, who have been together for long periods of time do better. Such couples are most often religious. 

Then the link author wades into an area with mine fields. He says there is less pornography in counties with more religion. Countries with the most religion include places like Pakistan where Islam is a government religion. There is evidence the amount of pornography is understated in Islamic countries because it stomped on by governments. It's been shown that there is lots of it underground.

In addressing an issue like this there is always the question of causation or correlation. Do people who behave in a certain way, like maintaining stable marriages, seek out religion.? And, might people who say they are "happy" tend to be those who seek out religion?

Hovering over all of this is the question of control. No one can deny that religion, all the world religions, stress control and conformity. Religion is the opposite of post modernism. Many who read the Bible conclude it is mainly about control. Whether we are talking about controlling women so they do not get abortions or controlling who is allowed to get married, control is what its about.

The link author ignores the fact that our entire human history is filled with religious wars. Since religion is all about control, wars break out over which one will do the controlling. 

If the choice is a state required religion with its controls or no religion with its uncertainty, I'll risk the latter.