Memes

All those negative effects would happen with or without religion. I think the real issue is blind trust of hierarchies. Many of those who ascribe to organized religion have a tendency towards that (the loud ones do at least), but religion isn't the only pathway by which conniving subhuman trash controls the masses. Anything that can enforce an in-group/out-group think is a pathway to this form of control that leaves people more vulnerable to allowing despicable acts in the name of God, the public good, safety, liberty, freedom, democracy, progress, etc. Pick your symbol of idealism, and you'll find someone who committed untold atrocities in its name.

If you'd prefer to succumb to hate, that's your prerogative. And I wouldn't necessarily consider it naive to prefer hope anyway, although having lived in hate in the past, I can understand why you might feel that way.

Any "helmet" you could wear is something that others would call delusion. It's always a lens by which you choose to warp reality. Hardened pessimism is no more realistic than blind optimism. It all depends on what you want to protect. Your own corporeal form and possessions (in which case, please keep your armor of selfishness and cynicism), or something less tangible, like emotional resilience and a belief that there might be a dream that's achievable.

Regardless of all that, and in spite of your attempts to shame me for grammatical mistakes, I'd like to thank you for inspiring some thought-provoking questions.