Does Humanity need Religion?

Do you think humanity truly needs religion? Do you think the world would be a better place if there was no religion for people to fight over?

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Humanity is the basis of all great religions, but we get so carried away by the greatness and uniqueness of our own religion and are so full of false ego, that we fail to understand the real purpose and true meaning of being a religious person.

humans have never existed without religion nor will they in future...............
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/27133-does-humanity-need-religion.html
in the beginning religions are made for bringing peace to soul and finding truth but at the end they are used by people for their motives.......

Turning Yogis into Khalsa Sikhs

Yogi Bhajan in his own words: “Religion has done the worst. What religion has done is to create the mental coercive state of slaves. Religion didn't do something to free somebody. It didn't say: “Go ahead and be!” When I came to the United States and I became a Sikh and all that, religion was forced on us. You know I am very anti-religion and I studied all the religions. I know all the loopholes. And I have studied every religion.
“I said to myself, 'Why we have to be Sikhs? What nonsense is this? Forget it!' Then I looked at myself and said, 'Wait a minute. There is one way to do it: Give them Baanaa (Distinctive and Gracious Attire). Give them Baanee (Songs of Self-counsel and Inspiration). Give them Seva (A Culture of Service). Give them Simran (Remembrance of the Self in Totality). Put them out in the market. And if by self-awareness they can survive, they will automatically become intuitive.'
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133
“I took a very calculated risk. I said, 'No Sikhs. I don't want to have Sikhs. Sikhs for what?' But I said, 'If they can stand under 250 million Americans, totally living differently, dealing differently, not saying “Hello” but saying “Sat Nam”, let us see what happens.'
“Well, some people came out really great. And it's true if you get into yourself in totality, you will have reality.” [42]


Harbhajan Singh Yogi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Religion has lot of positive effect on a person's life.We have seen people mother teresa
who have dedicated their entire life for humanity.

Funny - I was thinking last night about this. There is religion with its goodness and its wickedness. Where does that come from? The good and the wicked. Religions are made up of people. There are beliefs and then there are people, good and wicked. When you have 2 people you have the possibility for politics. So maybe the problem is not religion but the politics of religion. I see good things in both the OP and the comments to follow. Still making up my mind. Thanks for the debate.

Here is one of the quote about religion I read on worldsikhnews article

WSN-Special Report-Indo-Sikh Battle of Amritsar
Sikhism developed into an independent religion. A new religion always produces a new nation. Guru Gobind Singh formalized the Sikhs as a distinct nation, vested it with an ever- ascending morale and inexhaustible energy and launched it into time towards the goal of sovereignty. The Guru taught his Sikhs that sovereignty is necessary for the progress of religion and people, divorced from religion, are always treaded down. Sikhism faced as much hostility from Hinduism as from Islam. Enmity between religions is natural and permanent. The law of “struggle for survival” applies to religions as well as living organisms. When a religion expands, expansion being a mode of survival, it encroaches on the territory of some other religion and then conflict is inevitable.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133

Brotherly coexistence between different religions is a myth. The preaching of brotherhood between religions is useful for the peace and stability of society. But it is only palliative. It rather plants confusion in the minds of people and disables them to understand and face reality.

"We associate truth with convenience; with what most closely accords with self-interest and personal well-being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or unwelcome dislocation of life. We also find highly acceptible what contributes most to self-esteem. Economic and social behaviors are complex, and to comprehend their character is mentally tiring. Therefore we adhere, as though to a raft, to those ideas which represent our understanding."
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133

John Kenneth Galbraith

and then dare to examine the term 'conventional wisdom' (coined by the same author mentioned above) and a discussion of religion and morality is to follow. Conventional Wisdom is not always true--sorting throught the information, perhaps noticing the contrails of sloppy or self-interested thinking should prompt all clever individuals to start asking more questions (be it of religion or any groupthink).
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133

does humanity truly need religion?
IMHO, Humanity needs religion about as much as a crying baby needs a pacifier.

John Galbraith's fundas are not for ordinary folks. Yes high level intellectuals do not need religion, that is maybe 1% of the population. Now what happens to 99%? This is what we forget when we get into high level debates on religion. That it is meant for the masses and it is the ethical and moral duty of those blessed with a high level of intellect to give proper markers for for the ordinary folks.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133

That is why Gurbani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is so beautiful. It has simple straighforward message for ordinary people. And as intellectual level goes higher, deeper meaning emerges and at the highest level it is pure metaphysics and at each level there is no contradiction with any other level of annotation.

Didn't Karl Marx say that religion is an opium for the masses? If you take away the communist ideology, you will find that he was not wide of the mark. For the masses, religion is a great motivator and sustainer but it can also be a destroyer.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27133

As Narayanjot ji very correctly put it, politics is responsible for making religion either good or wicked.