I think that you're focusing more on the extremists than the average religious person.
I do agree with you about the way religion has been used, it has caused so much death tragedy subjugation and ignorance. But that has never been what they've been about. They really do preach peace, actually read the words of Christ and you'll see(use the Thomas Jefferson Bible, all magic and voodoo have been taken it out. So it's just Jesus the man). I have never read the Koran or Torah but I do know that the Bible is just allegory and is meant to show us how to be a good person. And I'm sure that at the time it actually made sense. The point is that it's not the religion that's corrupt, just the people that run it. Because sheep will follow anyone that appears to have authority.
