i think the world needs religion. religion learns us the basics of life and how to live with other people (love them, don't kill them etc.). everyone has learned this rules when they were young.
the creation of an all knowing being who judges us and decides about hell and heaven is a good tool to make dumb people not violate those rules (i use dumb people to refer to people who lived thousands of years ago)
in these modern times i think religion and the existence of a god is less necessary then before. everyone, religious or not, is being taught these rules and values, but we're smarter now and can think for ourselves if these rules are good or not , we don't need a judging being anymore.
it's too bad that the radical religious people, are not evolved enough to see the true purpose of religion.
you must never forget that the holy books were written by normal people with problems and insecurities, who lived thousands of years ago. their words are not necessarily the truth.