I don't know shit about this, but were the Crusades not a reaction to Islamic global conquest? In either case though I agree, fuck religion.
However, there is one line of defense I would like to give for it.
Prayer I believe could be an extremely useful tool. I'm pretty sure no sky daddy is going to respond to it. But it is a form of silent contemplation, something that modern humans seemingly lost entirely due to the constant exposure to flashy stimuli and instant gratification. Sitting down in silence and thinking about what you care enough about in your life to pray to some God to is a great tool when it comes to readjusting your own inner compass.
I don't think religion is needed for it, I certainly had no need for it. But if it gets people to do what they otherwise would not, then at least that aspect would be a net positive. No different from "meditation" or a lone walk through nature though. Or a good drink while sitting down and listening to an album that gets your thoughts going.
Also, religious scripture has some striking similarities to contemporary science. I've been wondering if some of the people writing it might have had an intuitive understanding of reality and used the limited language and tools they had to try and communicate it. But of course, once things get popular they attract lunatics and become corrupted, as is self-evident.
The only way out for humanity is culture.
"Culture is the freedom of people."
Forgotten 500 years ago, the damage is done.
If we do not fight for education, respect and values, we go to the destruction.
Respect and values absolutely.
Education is a bit tricky, since what passes as such today is utter garbage so fighting to maintain it could stop us from making progress on that front. You don't want hardcore education-conservatives when education in its current form is too shitty to be worth conserving.
Culture is also a little too vague. The Nazis and Mayans for example had an interesting culture, but I'm sure we don't want either back.
You are right in what you say, any person with a minimum of intelligence knows that in a few minutes of reflection you will get a clearer vision of their problems.
The problem is that there is a large part of the world where manipulation prevents and prohibits people from accessing knowledge.
Any cultured and free person can dispense with all religions.