Someones quote:
"There is only one evil race, and its the HUMAN race "
This basically means, there is only one good race, the human race. And it can be proven logically. There are a number of races in the world, but all are human (in this context at least). So if every race is evil (people living in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, etc..), then everyone is also good. Because, evil is a relative term. On the other hand, there are lots of species, but humans are the only ones who kill their own kind for little apparant reason.. so humans could be said to be the only evil species.
But to more relavant matters.
Religion has definently affected technological advancement. You could say, as somebody has, that religion was also doing their own research; so the fact that they were halting other's made it all right. But in reality, they were more interersted in researching their own religion than anything usefull. To explain anything that wasn't religious in nature, see this example:
If meat was left out for too long, flies would grow in it. Most theists decided that flies must be evolving from meat, a very quick and convenient answer. But Francesco Redi, using a scientific method, proved that flies only layed larva in the meat, and the larva would grow into flies. This helps prove that most theists weren't interested in research of a useful nature.
Religion still hampers science, although not most. But it is, of course(!), when it comes to ethics. Best example of this would be stem cell research. This research is VERY promising. It could maybe let people with broken spines walk again. Or people with brain tumors avoid mental retardation once the tumor is removed. But science needs ethics right? Who is to say that the church has the best ethics. The bible isn't very ethical. Many church leaders were good to go with a little boy or nun. When it comes down to it, the people will usually vote on such matters, but in lots of places theists outvote atheists or smarter theists. Proof that democracy doesn't work if your nation is full of brainwashees.
Right now we are living in a time of massive scientific breakthroughs. Science is racing ahead. Maybe if true science wasn't held back so long ago, the science race would have started then too. (not a very catchy term)
.Edit. to add conclusion above...
Edit again... And what about people so brainwashed by religion that they won't accept medical care (a fine example of technology!).. It's madness!