Witchcraft as a metaphor for religion

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Sam Harris recently used witchcraft as an analogy for religion in his most recent article called In Defense of Witchcraft and at the end of his most recent debate with Chris Hedges. (Both are linked from his site www.samharris.org)

Sam Harris would say we invented witchcraft and religion to explain what we didn't know and give reason to sickness,difficult to accept/strange things,etc. Sam Harris would argue that the end of religion would be beneficial for the same ways that the end of witchcraft was (witches/infidels would not be unjustly killed, people would look to doctors and science to cure disease instead of blaming witches/sinners,etc) Clearly religion is more powerful and satisfying than witchcraft(for the mere reason that it is still prevalent). It also covers the human struggle with death and the afterlife and gives something constant and unchanging for people to lean on.
How apt do people find this comparison?