North Korea may as well be your shining example of where religion was never invented. Children are stunted from malnutrition, families have resorted to cannibalism to feed themselves, accused dissidents are liquified via anti-aircraft cannons or eaten by ravenous dogs and their families sent to the salt mines.
But your premise is flawed anyways. When it come down to it, we all have a religion. It's just a matter of who/what we worship.