HMTM
Actually, I find myself agreeing with the vast majority of your post content.
That said, the genie isn't out of the bottle yet but the cork is. Science is just too far down the road to finding out how this universe came into being to turn back now. Once it is known why and how the universe was created, god's as good as dead and buried because, what ever the answer is, it sure as hell won't involve god or a deity of any description.
The world's governments may well need religion but what are you gonna do?, zeroise CERN's and MIT's budgets?
I happen to believe that Dawkins is right. Christianity could disappear within a generation. That's all it should take and that's probably all it will take. Why would it take longer?
You only need to look at the ex-communist states to see how quickly communism has been replaced by capitalism. Why should christinsanity take any longer to disappear?
Besides, chistinsanity is on its way out anyway. All it needs is one lasting push and it's game over. Look at the UK. Churches are closing, congregations are dwindling and, instead of one sky pilot looking after a single parish, he now has several to look after - and all are dying on their feet.
What you state in your post is correct, Governments do need religion. People do need hope. They need the belief that a better life is waiting for them after death. Governments don't have the resources to give people a good life now. However, deity based religions will still go down the pan when science discovers how the universe came about. It doesn't matter how much people need to believe in deities. If deities didn't create the universe, then their existence is nullified.
Man needed to believe in deities in order to explain the natural phenomena in the world eg. the wind, tides, rain, thunder, lightning etc. Then christinsanity came along which replaced the old gods. It sought to control Man by creating within him the fear of death, which he didn't have previously.
When science came along, it should have replaced christinsanity. christinsanity should have died. But, it didn't because, through their lies, they had attained complete control. christinsanity held back science and so the changes that should have come at least a hundred years ago, never came. Now, those changes are coming. Man doesn't need christinsanity. christinsanity needs Man.
For the last 2,000 years, man has been using christinsanity as a crutch. The condition that required the crutch (fear of death) was engineered by christinsanity itself. Some of us have found that we don't need the crutch and this movement is growing and spreading.
Man needs to grow up and throw away his crutch. He doesn't need it.
Where's all the money going to come from to help increase the lot of the poor?
From the christstain churches. They have been robbing the poor for centuries. Now it's time to give back what they stole.
Who/what is the richest entity on the planet?
Apple Corp?
Nope - the catholic church.
Man didn't evolve to bow down to some non-existent deity. Man doesn't need to believe in some non-existent deity. That was all the work of religions.
Slowly, Man is freeing himself of the shackles that are his religion. Long may it continue.
First, Man must prove to himself that no deity created the universe. Then, freedom will follow.