Do You Believe Religion Empowers People?
 

Or does it deceive people? Marx thought it was used to distract the suffering working masses helping them accept their horrid lives with the promise of a better existence in the afterworld. There are lots of other opinions about the positive and negative role of religion.

On the whole would the modern world be better off without religion or do you think without them we'd drift into a civilization of murderers, rapists and thieves eventually?

Both

It brings comfort, hope and order to many people.

It also empowers some to act at the expense of others …. because they will be forgiven.

Pretty much....

What is critical to understand as a starting point in discussing the role of religion in civilization, is that in consideration of every adaptive group behavior which has guided mans evolution over the years, this is one of the very few which has endured and survived over the eons. If you accept that, then you have to accept as well that there must be a great deal more in terms of benefits (with or without the belief in a God) than people generally tend to consider or accept.