Yes, religion is holding humankind back. Many people who agree with this statement then go on to say that we should just get rid of religion. In my opinion, religion isn't the problem. Religion's role and how people view it is.

Religion's role in society has stopped growing and moving forward. Religion has always been present in society. There hasn't been a recorded community that has existed without some form of religion. There are two main roles religion has played in society: science and government. In the earliest civilizations, religion was used as a science to explain the universe. There was a god riding on a chariot pulled by horses that carried the sun across the sky. There was another god that controlled the weather and when the people didn’t worship him enough he would punish them by withholding rain for their crops. As time progressed, humans discovered science and stopped using religion to explain their world. Religion began to transition into a form of government. For example, the Catholic pope had more power than a king. As society changed and people changed, religion changed as well. In the past few hundred of years most civilizations have realized that putting religion in a government position doesn't work anymore.

"No single war has killed as many people as religion has."

Religion should be more personal and community orientated.