A lot of well-meaning people imagine religionism is harmless nonsense that most will grow out of as they grow up. This is a grave error. Religionism is a cancer, and no civilized society should tolerate its promulgation. It is notable that the USA, which is abnormally religious among OECD nations, consistently falls to the bottom of the educational ranks (PISA scores) and alas rises to the top of the charts when it comes to sexual violence.

Civilized societies acknowledge sexuality as a normal healthy part of human existence; in consequence there are fewer deranged, neurotic, twisted, and abusive individuals going on to commit crimes against others. Where religion is strong, pedophilia and rape are also strong. Where religion is weak or non-existent, these crimes are dramatically less numerous. In this case, correlation really is because of causation.