What's an objective assessment of the benefits and harms of religion overall, in your view?

[Brettongarcia]

15. Good observations, caveats. Aside from Prosperity Gospel though? Consider Asceticism, Spirituality

It's true that much of religion is more balanced.

However, if you are looking for over-spiritual, anti-worldly excess, you need look no further than our traditional priests and ministers and monks, especially. Spirituality and asceticism - and anti-materialism - are much stronger there. To this very day, most Catholic priests do not make a lot of money; they still take vows of "Poverty." To some extent, this has influenced even much of mainstream Christianity.

Granted, religion makes people feel better. But then so do some delusions and illusions and fantasies. The question is: are their feelings objectively, empirically true. Are their pleasant fantasies real? Taking opium and having opium dreams, makes people feel good; but is it always good for them?

Living in Lotus Land, the Greeks suggested, in the world of dreams and hopes, causes them to neglect practical material realities. And this leads them to laziness, and then poverty.