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I don't disagree with your statement at all and believe that it can in fact be consistent with my statement in question.

My contention was that man can be evil with or without religion itself, so it is pointless for those on both sides of the debate to continue trying to one up the other side with examples of evil committed by "religious" or "non-religious" people that were essentially charasmatic leaders with a lot of power.

Your moral philosophy is the key and is in reality what I was referring to. I think it can exist with or without religion. Just as evil exists with or without religion, so does good - your moral philosophy so to speak. It is the moral philosophy that you speak of that is ultimately responsible for man's actions towards others and their evil or good label that I am applying.

In some cases, religion provides a basic foundation or understanding for people (as in "What would Christ or Buddha do?"). In others, it is used to commit or entice others to commit evil ("Allah or God says kill the Infidels / non-believers"). But you also have the "Religion is Competition with the Supreme State / My Power so it needs to be destroyed or suppressed" folks as well.

I would argue that without religion, man would find something else to bicker and kill each other over because many do not possess the moral philosophy of which you speak.

In no way do my arguments above preclude the possibility that it is still valid to argue over which religion provides the best foundation for a moral philosophy however. Some religions are distorted and used to commit evil, but in those cases one can only criticize the ones who do it, not the religion.

With respect to those who commit evil due to their opposition to religion, I suspect their flaw is arrogance, lust for power or a general hatred for their fellow man. Not much different than those who distort some religions for personal gain.

A true moral code cannot exist in either of these people because they are basically flawed human beings, UNLESS they go through some type of true and HEALTHY enlightenment. Often, religion (or a different religion) can provide that enlightenment or revelation through its framework of examples, teachings, etc.