Pragmatism regarding the unknown and religion have been long at odds since humans were sacrificing animals to make it rain. Religion at its very core is about control of ones surroundings. Religion is likely an important evolutionary coping mechanism to keep from neuroses, ironic.
And keeping women as second class slaves whom you control access to is also an important evolutionary development because it helps ensure that you're not expending your own resources to propigate someone else's genes. That's not a reason to continue that attitude in modern society.
Religion is the same. It had a use, like the scaffolding needed to build a house. Once the house is up, though, you knock down the scaffolding because it's not only not needed, but actually gets in the way of using the finished house.
