I would point out that it's exactly the opposite: religion is the video game that children become addicted to without knowing it's a fantasy, long before they reach an age of consent.

Whatever the supposed altruistic goals religion claims, the real functions are to create exclusivity, propagandize children and to support an expensive infrastructure/lifestyle for a sycophantic system of wealth parasitism.

Sure, the best parts of religion involve community building, cooperation within tribes and education/civilized indoctrination of children, but all of those things can be done based on reality instead of fantasy. It isn't fear of death that stresses humans: it's the fear of being left out of something that someone else might get. If nobody has an afterlife, and we look upon death as a part of being animals, then the marketing schemes to sell funereal solace at high prices become moot.

I used to believe that religion served a useful function, even if I didn't believe in the fantasies, but we have the capability to do all of religion's functions without the contrived competition.

The failure of atheism and regenerative philosophies is that they haven't figured out how to make a profit for the prophets and the car salesmen/real estate/pickle vendors.

Take away the tax deductions, and much of modern religion would disappear along with much of advertising.

Pass a law that lying to children is a crime and it would all have to go away.

Lie: perpetuation of a falsehood.

Falsehood: something unsubstantiated by natural facts.