How so, I'm not comprehending what you mean.
Historically, look how many great civilisations were based around or driven by a religion..
For instance here in the UK, if you go back to say 1200 AD, most of the population here were peasants (some would say we still are!) who lived in little more than hovels, but at the same time massive and hugely elaborate stone Cathedrals such as York Minster were being built, sometimes taking over many years to complete.
And where did all that wealth that build those churches come from? It was stolen from those poor peasants, and it was this theft that was largely responsible for the peasants miserable condition. At that time very few people could read or write but the majority of those who could were monks or other such members of the church. The were also the seat for studying rudimentary medicine.
Later as education started to become established, many of the early schools and colleges were set up and run by the Church..
This didn't occur until the spread of printing press and the churches loss their near monopoly on the printed word. Once they had to compete in the market places, they began to teach non-church member to read and write.....for a price....They taught for money, not out of charity, and only because theri monopoly was broken.Much of the exploration of the world at that time was driven by religion as folk went to convert heathen tribes and spread the word ect..
And murder those who did not convert, and steal their stuff in the process, of course it's easier to murder people and steal their stuff when the actions are church sanstioned. And of course war was waged in the name of religion.
All these things helped our civilization grow, develop new technology, carry our commerce and expand the arts ect..
You ask the wrong question. You need to be asking how many advancements did not happen due to the church persecutions. On balance, religion has prevented more innovation then it created. If you look at other parts of the world, other great technological achievements such the pyramids in Egypt or those in South America were lined to the local religion..
And in both instances the overspending on huge monuments impoverished the common person, bankrupted the civilization and lead to civil war.So while I believe religion can be very destructive,
it also directly and in directly drove societies forward.
