Here's an interesting article on some recent research conducted to test the hypothesis, often propounded by religious fundamentalists, that religion is associated with lower rates of "lethal violence, suicide, non-monogamous sexual activity and abortion". The researcher compared data from 18 developed democracies, and discovered that the fundamentalists couldn't have got it more wrong.
"My heroes are driven by God, but I'm glad my society isn't"
George Monbiot in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1589406,00.html
"In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion ... None of the strongly secularised, pro-evolution democracies is experiencing high levels of measurable dysfunction." Within the US, "the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and midwest" have "markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the north-east where ... secularisation, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms".