Millie210 - I can however, see that religion has played a role in meeting some need in society or else it would have ceased to exist long before now.
You bring up an interesting point and my response below is not aimed at you but at something I have had people bring up all the time...
I used to believe the above as well until I started to examine the components of religion - e.g. fellowship, purpose, good works, stories, happiness, social coherence, morality, comfort, etc. But taken independently, it is clear to see that these things can be gained without the baggage of religion. I think we have been so thoroughly indoctrinated by society and culture that we have come to automatically associate these very human things as inseparable to (almost synonymous with) religion. Perhaps, religion did fill these needs because it pretty much had few (if any) alternatives and because we have been taught so.
One of the biggest objections I have heard from some people to atheism is that they don't see a clear substitute to what religion offers them. I have even had someone tell me that they would continue to be in a religion until atheism (and/or I personally) offered them a replacement for those things. This is not the role of atheism. Atheism is not a world-view and it is not meant as replacement for the things their religion provides. However, a more comparable replacement for those things religions offer may be found in humanism or some other non-religious world-view or philosophy.
And, I am not without compassion. Life and reality can be pretty rough and I can understand why some people would cling to fantasy to escape. But I would argue that there are lots of wonderful things based in reality to contemplate and experience that do not require religion. I think many people have a blindspot to some of these things because their experiences may be limited or lack imagination or have completely bought into the necessity of religion.
From my perspective, religion gives you a disease and then gives you a placebo for a cure. I think we can come up with better ideas and experiences without it.