I think it started as a way for people to explain the world around them and to give meaning to events like tragedy, death, birth and love. Before science came up with explinations for all that, people needed religion to make sense of the world. It also put religious leaders in a position of power over the followers. I think ultimately it is the power of leaders that corrupted religion rather than the beliefs themselves. Pretty much every religion teaches altruism, respect for family, reverence of life, etc. It's the religious leaders that taught people fear, intolerance and to be sheep (isn't that punny?).

The thing is, altruism, respect, reverence of life are all traits that anybody with any sort of moral compass possesses right out of the box. I am a non-religious person, but I still believe in doing the right thing and helping others. Thus, I find religion completely useless :shrug: