As postmoderns, we often criticize Evangelicalism (the particular religion we grew up with). However, all religion has (necessary) stages of growth that mimic human development. All religions can serve the ego and/or the Spirit.
I see religion as the stem and husk that can house and serve the growth of the seed (Spirit). The problem is, we tend to get attached to the stem and husk and mistakenly consider them to be our nutrition!
I think it's helpful to not only look at fundamentalist/conservative Evangelicalism or even ‘religion’ itself as the problem. In a recent CNN show on atheists, one atheist claimed that if we got rid of religion, humanity would have no problems. Really? No more racism, classism, genderism? Talk about a belief system rivaling pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die! As it turns out, key atheist apologists, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, are huge male chauvinists!
I think it's more helpful to look at religion anthropologically—including its political, sociological, and psychological aspects. Regardless of the religion, human nature is prone to us-versus-them and is constantly finding reasons to divide and feel superior (e.g., Catholic vs. Protestant, Shiite vs. Sunni, and various denominational splits ad nauseam) and to find a scapegoat (gays, infidels, women, whomever).
Looking at human (societal) growth models and comparing them to stages of faith models (e.g., James Fowler) is helpful in understanding ourselves as a species and what role religion plays in the world.
What are the historic and general trends in all religions? Islam seems to be about where Christianity was about 500 years ago with the Inquisition, etc. And within each religion: some are more drawn to emotional worship; others to contemplation; others to rationalism—again, regardless of the particular religion. Furthermore, what do we have in common, including the universal expressions of the golden rule?
The majority of our world is religious. Why is that? Even atheistic humanism is a belief system. What needs does religion fill, for example, in finding meaning and/or group cohesiveness? Even Buddhists—who don't have a view of a personal (or any) deity—pray!
What is this need for something bigger than ourselves (individually and collectively)—for transcendence and a sense of awe? Why and to whom do we turn when we feel powerless, as in the case of serious illness? While we can find love in (people of) all religions (or none), we can also find hate there, too.
While we can seek to gravitate to what is loving in all religions, and come to respect and learn from those expressions, is there something unique about the love of God revealed in Jesus that is good news for all? How does Christ impact our own lives and how might the change in us create positive change in our hurting and conflicted world?