The catholic church has abused their power over the years until the Reformation,  which broke the bonds the church had over society and  helped usher in The Age of Enlightenment.  Stating that religious communities are responsible for neoconservative activism, colonialism and neo-colonialism is a stretch to say the least, I could even make the argument that such a statement is  bigoted and Christianophobic.   Many factors contribute to these three "isms", religious communities certainly are not solely responsible.