I agree man.
"When did I realize I was god? Well, I was praying and suddenly I realized I was talking to myself."-Peter O'Toole
Religion causes a lot of problems in modern society. Lets take christianity; it encourages prejudice against other religions, it promotes homophobia, it promotes social conservatism and it creates fear. I am aware that list focuses on different sects of christianity. As a history student I have seen so many examples of when the church has inhibited human progress, caused conflicts and generally made existance worse.
I do not believe there is a god or even could logically be one because it would defy fundamental laws of science. I would like there to be an afterlife but I know there isnt and I know I do not have a soul. Without going too deep into my reasoning I believe that humans are biological machines - we are controlled by hormones and though we practice a degree of free will we are still bound by our 'mammalian' and 'repitillian brains' that is to say our emotional and instinctual responces. Pickup clearly shows this, we fear approaching women even though its against all logic and its very difficult to remove this fear.
My main gripes with religion, apart from slowing human progress for millenia and causing so much suffering, is that belief is dogmatised and people are told what to believe. Controlling classes abuse religion and use it for their own means. It is also saddening to think people need religion to tell them what is right and what is wrong when often religion contradicts itself. Lets take homophobia, jesus tought us to love our neighbours yet god went and murdered a load of people for being sodomites - I mean he created them that way so why does he blame them - bit psychotic really. It causes so much ignorance, people use the bible to deduct their moral views as opposed to rationality.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" - Epicurus
"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death"[/ - Albert EinsteinCENTER]
and finally;
"Strange...a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied seventy times seven and invented Hell; who mouths morals to other people and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!" -Mark Twain