Those pesky religious Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Hindus, Christians, Chinese, Taoists, Buddihst that were at the forefront of science for over 6000 years of history?
None of their progress came about due to religion.
However, any time they were blocked, failed, made catastrophic mistakes, or were caused to stop making progress, 9 times out of 10 it was religion that was the root cause.
You get a political persecution of one guy and stem cells?
The religious right in the US equates stem cell research with an endorsement of pro-choice rights. It caused the research in stem cell research in the US to miss many opportunities that were taken up in Japan and Europe instead. It literally caused (an admittedly minor) brain drain away from the US.
Tell me when did they start holding back progress in the grand scheme of things?
On what grounds did Cleanthes oppose Aristarchus' CORRECT heliocentric model of the universe? As for documented evidence, I'm going to go with around 350 BCE.
It took religious those nut jobs to drive the anti-slavery moment in the USA. Bishop Nicole Oresme beat Galileo and Copernicus by 100 years on the theory and earlier still the ancient Egyptians knew it.
Beat Galileo to what? Oresme's "mean speed theorem" is far less general than the parabolic equations Galileo determined. Oresme's "objects on a moving ship" was never more than a thought experiment that he never even carried out; Galileo actually dropped something from the mast of a ship. More to the point, Oresme used guarded language, and refrained from saying that Aristotle's cosmology was wrong. Galileo did not mince words, and he had the evidence to prove it. You cannot compare the two.
"On November 1, 1536, Archbishop of Capua Nikolaus von Schönberg wrote a letter to Copernicus from Rome encouraging him [Copernicus] to publish a full version of his theory"
Ah yes, and yet Copernicus did not. Not until he was visited by Rheticus, a Lutheran who spent more time mocking religious authorities than following them, and they published a test pamphlet with small circulation did Copernicus agree to publish. You see, Copernicus, was worried that he would get in religious trouble if he published regardless of of the fact that Clement didn't realize the conflict inherent with his heliocentric theory.
And of course, Copernicus was right. The only reason he was not persecuted personally, is because he died before they could get their hands on him. Publications denouncing Copernicus came out immediately, all authored by religious zealot. Even Tycho Brahe, who disagreed with Copernicus' theory, never called for and sort of censure of Copernicus.
Ever hear of Georges Lemaître? One of those pesky religious types too.
Lemaître was always very careful to separate his religion from his science. When the pope proclaimed that Lemaître had proven that god had created the universe, Lemaître rebuked him severely saying that the big bang theory had nothing to do with religious doctrine.
You confuse politics with religious beliefs (sadly intertwined) and Galileo made the mistake of making a fool of a corrupt nobleman posing as a Pope through Simplicio.
No he did not. Supply the quotation, or shut the fuck up.
It was religions across the whole of human history that drove early science and civilization.
Oh really? So tell me, why did Justinian close down the neo-platonic school? Did he just not like the school? Why did he ban Pagan rituals? Why did enforce mass conversions of all Romans to Christianity?
It was those pesky ignorant monks that spent the dark ages transcribing and translation thousands of works to preserve them.
Incorrect. They did ZERO translating (they were not capable). They only copied the works because the Arabs were requesting them, and willing to pay money for them.