Religion vs evolution? No, religion as a product/result of evolution!
As we experience life, we build a model of reality that enable us to cope with it, more or lesss succesfully, later. The success is not dependent on the rightness/accuracy of the model, but on it's "fitness".
What if irrationality in humans and/or religions ( [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ) was just an evolutionary product that prevents us from freezing on the spot when we have an inaccurate or inadequate model, as when we don't/can't make a decision fast enough. I would see such a mechanism as very advantageous to the species and the individual.
To get the ball rolling, could I suggest a read of this article in the
The Guardian . This gives good background/context for this question. It is rather longish, but very gripping [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Enjoy
MidGe