[zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC]

Really, it's more useful to think of religion as a sort of memetic infection. While religion certainly has been used and in some instances/places still is being used quite explicitly to control people, most believers, and that includes most of the clergy, do themselves sincerely believe what they profess, and there is no intent to deceive, they are simply not competent at distinguishing rational beliefs from irrational beliefs, and often caught in a set of higher-order beliefs that make it difficult for them to recognize where their thinking goes wrong.

[builditand]

I agree completely with you and I don't think it contradicts what I said, more it completes it.

It looks like a viral infection, yes, that's how it spreads: an evil payload wrapped in good ideas. It's a tool to control people even if it's not used everywhere all the time, even if sometimes it's used for good. And finally, yes, the believers have no intention to deceive; they are the ones deceived and since most of them are essentially good people they naturally want to spread the "truth" by telling others about it.