The Religious "View"

[Person66]

I (mainly Christianity which I LOATHE, HATE and ABHOR with a deep passion) but it seems to me all religion has ever done is cause strife, prejudice and killing...amongst other lovely things along that line.

But religion causes nothing but trouble as far as I'm concerned.

Mainly Christianity! No, no, no. I agree that religion and religious forces are fucking up the world but I believe you only say Christianity because that's mainly what you see around you in the U.S.A.
Remember how all the fundamentalists talk of Judeo-Christianity. The Abrahamic religions are the worst offenders, the big three: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
This all started with Judaism, remember the Book of Leviticus, which forbids homosexuality (and tells you that if someone asks for your daughter as a slave, the proper thing is to offer her up) is all in the Old Testament, a Jewish text. The assault on gays and women started with Judaism (remember it was Eve who tricked Adam into eating the Apple). This was passed down to Christianity because Jesus was a Jew.
These Jewish ideas didn't spread until Christianity, because back then Judaism was a small sect.
Remember Ancient Egyptian women had more rights than Victorian women.
About 500 years later Islam came along and completed the trifecta of oppression.
Islam is the worst, with the strongest oppression of gays and women.
I don't even need to provide examples.
America is worse off than Western and Northern Europe, because America is far more religious (read: Christian ) than say England. (not by that much)

I must add that "the founding fathers of the U.S. were very religious men who feared Democracy and feared Monarchy. They created a Republic (not a Democracy)) where the people had little say and business could do business." That's a direct quote from the late Gore Vidal (I think)
And "seperation between church and state" was meant to prevent the state from meddling in religious matters. Not to prevent politics from mixing with religion, which as Dfiant points out has disastrous consequences.