Most devout Christians that I know despise religion as much as atheists do. We equate religion with the Pharisees and Sadducees as did Jesus. Many of the claims of atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens about the harm that religion has done are true. But true faith has managed to accomplish epic works even when burdened with the skin and bones of the Catholic church. The problem with religion is that it consists of mostly unregenerated souls.
So obviously the world is stuck with religion as it has proved so handy for ambitious men. Religion has declined as an organizing principle as other ideologies have surged. Swapping out the church for communism is hardly a bargain though. One of the main reasons that religion has waned is because of nuclear technology, which has produced a lull in great power war. This, as we can see from the news, is coming to an end. The horrors of war will rejuvenate religion as survivors will see that ideas such as democracy are not a panacea.
One huge flaw in thinking that science will end religion (or other supposed evil things) is that science hasn't changed the nature of man.
Even after the rapture, which will be explained away, even then, religion will remain and also the concept of men declaring themselves gods.
Many here like to speak of Christian sects. And do not speak well of them. That's actually pretty accurate. Religions of all kinds are a different thing entirely than true faith. There was a time when I thought that the many non-denominational churches that are springing up across the world represent the true faith because they organize themselves around the scriptures more closely than mainline churches with well-established doctrines, but these too seem to go astray.
