Is religion good or bad?

Is religion god or bad? Can one ask this question? Or merely questioning religion is blasphemy and a crime. I don't believe in religion the way generally people do. But I have no intention of hurting any belief of those who does. Religion is a very powerful thing. It is like nuclear power which can be used constructively to make electricity and light up our homes or destructively to make atomic bomb and destroy everything.
When religion inculcate values like humanity, kindness, equality, hard work, respect, knowledge, innovation, compassion and individual freedom, its a good thing. But when it differentiate people, it make people blind follower or make them do certain things out of fear or blind faith or make them superstitious taking out control of their lives from their hands and putting it at mercy of some masters of religion or people claiming to be closer to God than others, when it cause hate, violence and helplessness, nothing is more dangerous than it.
The most dangerous thing is that you can't question why something should be done just because some hundreds or  thousands year ago someone said or wrote something. Doing something without knowing why, not being able to think away from what is prescribed takes away individual freedom. How can God, if there is one, be specific to a religion? How do different Gods coordinate with each other? If all those who don't follow some religion are bad, than certainly all would go to hell of some other religion. And if God is one, why so many religions, and at least then they should not be so different. But we can't question this or we are either hurting some one's belief or its blasphemy. Religion is a social phenomena, its a tool of organizing society and of power sharing. Whatever is based on fear and ignorance or blind belief, is dangerous and takes away individual freedom. Any ideology which allows exploitation of one by other, which make one smaller or greater than other, which limits itself within a dogma, can never be a good thing. It only allows some to rule others. I don't hate religion or those who are religious. Religion is very important for many. I just can't accept the way it is misused to exploit people, violate human rights, demean lives of some, and mostly to kill each other. 

Any one living in poor condition is susceptible to fall in trap of fatalism and superstitions. One who have no choice need to find a solace in the belief that their is some power who will make everything fine. But If everyone else who is better off, who can do something about that poor person also leave it on that supernatural power instead of doing something to make this world better by our own actions, then nothing can be worse. We can't wait for an avatar to come and solve our problems, we better work hard and help each other. But the negative side of religion is too deep and so much into us that most can't even see that. But there is no magic remedy for this. Choice is in our hand whether to make light or a bomb!

waqt shayari by javed akhtar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfM9pZYm2w&feature=related

वक़्त !
ये वक़्त क्या है
ये क्या है आखिर कि  जो मसल्सल गुजर रहा है
ये जब न गुज़रा था तब कहाँ था?
कहीं तो होगा!
गुज़र गया है तो अब कहाँ है?
कहीं तो होगा !
कहाँ से आया, किधर गया है?
ये कब से कब तक का सिलसिला है?
ये वक़्त क्या है ?

ये वाकये ये हादसे ये तसातुम
हर एक गम और हर एक मसर्रत
हर एक क़जीयत हर एक लज्ज़त
हर एक तबस्सुम हर एक आंसू
हर एक नगमा हर एक खुसबू
वो ज़ख्म का दर्द हो कि वो लम्ज़ का हो जादू
खुद अपनी आवाज़ हो कि माहौल कि सदायें

ये जेहन में बनती और बिगडती हुयी फज़ाए
वो फिक्र में आये ज़लज़ले हों दिल में  हलचल

तमाम एहसास
सारे जज्बे
ये जैसे पत्ते  हैं
बहते पानी कि सतह पे जैसे तैरते हैं
अभी यहाँ है,
अभी वहां है,
और अब हों ओझल ,
दिखाई देता नहीं है लेकिन ये कुछ तो है जो कि बह रहा है !
ये कैसा दरिया है !
किन पहाड़ों  से आ रहा है?
ये किस  समुन्दर को जा रहा है?
ये वक़्त क्या है ?

कभी कभी मैं ये सोचता हूँ
 कि चलती  गाड़ी से पेड़ देखो तो ऐसा लगता है  दूसरी संत जा रहे हैं
कभी कभी मैं ये सोचता हूँ
 कि चलती  गाड़ी से पेड़ देखो तो ऐसा लगता है  दूसरी संत जा रहे हैं

मगर हकीकत में पेड़ अपनी जगह खड़े हैं
तो क्या ये मुमकिन है
सारी सदियाँ कतार अन्दर कतार अपनी जगह खड़ीं हो
ये वक़्त साकित  हो और हम ही गुजर रहे हों

इस एक लम्हें में सारे लम्हें तमाम सदियाँ छुपी हों
न कोई आइन्दा न गुज़िस्तान
जो हो चुका है हो रहा है
जो होने वाला है हो रहा है
मैं सोचता हूँ कि क्या ये मुमकिन है
सच ये हो कि सफ़र में हम हैं
गुजरते हम हैं
जिसे समझते हैं हम गुजरता है ,  वो थमा है
गुजरता है या थमा हुआ है
इकाई है या बंटा हुआ है
है मुंज़मिद या पिघल रहा है
किसे खबर है किसे पता है?
ये वक्त क्या है ?

-(जावेद अख्तर)