What are the benefits of religion?

It seems that there are many benefits of religion. What are some of them?

Religion gives most people a sense of community, of belonging to something bigger. It gives you rules and ethics that make it easy to not have to think about what is right and wrong because your religion will tell you what is right and wrong. In a good person religion can give them drive and direction and a community to do good deeds. In a person that does not have the innate drive to do good things religion can give them a sense of protection for their bad acts and a in some cases a basis for already establish prejudices. Religion can condemn and comfort. It can be a platform for love or hate depending on the speakers intensions. A kind person raised in a cruel religion will rebel and a cruel person will find the cruelty in it and turn it against those they want to hurt or failing that will leave the religion all together. Religion is nothing more that the foil for the person amplifying their innate natures. The God is within and religion gives people the comfort to express who they really are.