Independent Topic: Religion has a Negative Effect on Life, Ryan Webb

I was recently asked the question of whether religion has a positive or negative effect on life. A bit perplexed, I had an extremely hard time answering this question because it can have many answers. I think the first aspect relies on an individuals perspective of religion. However, I did attempt to answer this question to the best of my ability and before I explain, there are some things that must first be established. One, most of my views will relate to Christianity because it is what I am most comfortable and familiar with. Two, there are always two sides to an argument, that being said, I am in no way declaring my answer to be truth. Finally, I am no expert in the field of religion, although my answer will be entirely my own thoughts, I am not purposefully trying to offend anyone's actual belief or view of religion. That being said, I think I am ready to dive into the question at hand.
Okay, well the first thing to understand is that the term religion has not always been around. According to dictionary.com, the term was invented between the year 1150 and 2000. The term was invented by scholars who needed a word to describe the beliefs of certain people or groups. If one looks at this from a biblical stand point, even though the title of scholar sounds good, a scholar is still a human being. According to Romans, all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Because the word and meaning of religion was invented by human beings, and human beings are born of sin, religion it self must also be sinful, hence have a negative effect on human life.
I realize this may be a stretch, so I will attempt to provide other support. As far as I know, nowhere in the Bible or any other religious texts does the concept of religion appear. Religion is an example of how we as human have modernized the beliefs of certain groups or individuals. I do not believe that following Jesus, or in that case, Mohammed or any other beliefs, has a negative impact on society. The problem arises when we humanize what we believe instead of following the beliefs that were set by those not of the world. Personally, I can only speak form the perspective of a follower of Jesus, but I can confidently say that the main theme of the Bible is love. If we love each other in the way the Bible tells us to, it doesn't make sense that there can be any negative impact on the world.
I may be reading into the question too deeply, or maybe I just over analyze things, but if the question is whether or not religion is positive or negative, I must answer by saying that it is negative. Following Jesus, in my opinion, is not religion. I would love to know the classes thoughts. Does religion have a positive or negative effect on the world?