standing up for religion is not and is never left wing. standing up for religion is always conservatism and always right wing. no exceptions.
the left always advances secularism and always advances a post-religious society. it's foundational. it's definitional. religion is not compatible with a coherent left and cannot be tolerated or welcomed or accepted by a functioning left.
a left that interacts with religion as acceptable is a right in disguise, and that's been the case on this continent for a long time.