I think there are way too many variables to make a single statement.

Religion and secularism have both led to horrible tragedies. I don't think there is much evidence that if there were no religion, that things would be much better in the world.

I really think a world without religion would end up being similar to that episode of South Park where the different factions of atheism kill each other because the other atheist factions adhere to a different type of atheism. (South Park Season 10, Episode 12).

Humans, regardless of religion, are going to find ways and reasons to take power through murder and violence. That is part of our nature.

Religion is a control mechanism. If you need it to behave yourself, fine.
Organized religion is an organized control mechanism - that means someone else controlling you. If you need that to behave yourself, not fine. Take responsibility for yourself.

I know this only one specific cult, it has commonality with most.

A religion based in rite and ritual, symbols and significances does not impart understanding. The word religion is from the latin "to bind ".

Middle English (originally in the sense ‘life under monastic vows&rsquo: from Old French, or from Latin religio(n- ) ‘obligation, bond, reverence’, perhaps based on Latin religare ‘to bind’.

In light of the above I would say it is more of a commitment or obligation through the bond of a vow of faith in a God or gods.

An importance of religion is that it has kept alive a basic concept that man has a spiritual aspect which science does not recognize and even refutes. Science, of course, measures the physical with the only thing it can, physical tools. Perhaps, it needs to discover or invent a metaphysical tool to measure the metaphysical in order to accept its existence at all?

In my view, it is more logical that the metaphysical exists rather than all existence in a great explosion and suddenly the universe was there. But, as I have mentioned on other threads, time is one of the weirdest concepts, in that there is a start point for the universe. That infers there must be an end point. Or is there only now and the start point and end point are the same instant? Does it mean ultimately, the future is determined by the metaphysical or is time from beginning to end predetermined and already in existence?

Religion has caused some serious suffering over the years but the majority of religious teachings, when applied correctly, are universally good and help create moral societies.

Not a member of an organized religion myself anymore.

But like all institutions (and if you hear Jordan Peterson well, especially conservative institutions) there is a good chance that over time they are going to stultify.

Further there are varying levels of organization. I prefer a local (on the congregation level) of organization over a multi-tiered hierarchy spanning the globe for a number of reasons.

I feel like it has caused more death than cigarettes. Just guessing.