Christopher Hitchens. "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"

Religion poisons things because it is number one to itself. In order to keep the control/power and the capital gains to itself.

And because of its self interest it promotes division among humans telling them that those following its way/rules are the "right ones" or
righteous ones so they are excused if they cause pain and death to "infidels" (read non-customers non-serfs) while telling they own faithful (wishful thinking customers as those of "The Secret") that they are the center of the Universe.

Not much has changed since the egyptians priests started preaching about 3000 to 3500 years ago that the only way to obtain an after life was by buying a personal Book of the Dead because such book was "the only road/way to an eternal life" (Have you ever heard/read a similar sentence somewhere before?").

Up to present orthodox jews are mandated to buy a handwritten copy of the Torah in their lifetimes. The egyptians who came up first with this business scheme started charging about 6 months to 12 months worth of the salaries of their faithful/hopeful/wishful customers, but current orthodox jews may pay from $1000.00 to $30,000.00 for a handwritten Torah for themselves and their families.

So, because of above reasons organized religions continue asking you to pay your way to an afterlife where they promise you your inversion will pay you back (as it is rather difficult to ask for a refund after you are dead).

That is also why you have to attend your church/temple/etc. at least once a week to prevent you from dropping your membership. And that is why indoctrination/brain-washing has to start from childhood before you have the reasoning capacities to question things, while you learn to attach a high emotional value to those things told to you by those who feed you and provide care to you.

Therefore they are not about to accept you drop your membership (and let you workship in private or not at all) without doing anything it takes even if they have to kill the "unfaithful" (read non-customers and other threats to their power and business).