I sort of agree, and sort of disagree. One: the opinion is not mine, I merely published it here for discussion. Two, the correlation is strong, but as you observe, correlation is not always causation.... I would argue that there is a strong component of causation by religion, even if it's not the sole cause - however, it's inarguable that religion causes lack of education and keeps people in poverty. So, my overall take is that religion is one of several direct causes, as well as a second-order cause or enabler of some of the others.