My thoughts, in no particular order or structure.

"Religion is the opiate of the masses" - Marx
No.
"Religion is not the opiate of the masses, it's the placebo." - Gregory House M.D. (T.V)
Yes.

Try the real thing and then you can tell when someone is bullshitting you. Let someone experience life on their own. Allow them to draw their own conclusions.
Nature creates a person who is idealistic and pragmatic. Nurture creates a person that is idealistic but submissive (ergo Obama vs Bush).
The goal of human evolution should be to create a society of optimists who can see the whole picture and will recognize pain and misfortune but not dwell on it. People need to understand that a disagreement is an opportunity for discussion, not argument.
Cynicism is a plague that leads people to warped truths and talented orators.
A person should not have to commit themselves to an idea. Idealogical commitment closes so many doors. As a human it is your duty to think ORIGINAL thoughts.

I am not going to jump on any bandwagon. Especially not a bandwagon that is thousands of years old. This bandwagon is so old that the wheels and axles have rotted and now the only source of propulsion is a billion man march holding above their heads the golden frame of a wagon in which sits an empty throne. yea.