I really think, after an eff of a lot of years of thinking about it, that religion serves the purpose of teaching people that we are all connected, that as individual beings we are both important to the whole and meaningless - and dead - without it. It attempts to make the point that together we stand, and divided we are conquered. As that, it has been very valuable. I fear a bit moving forward without a socially codified way of teaching this, but I know that we as a species have the capacity to find new ways to make this point to people. Without having to cut their heads off. Really. It's hard to pass on knowledge when the head is separated from the body, although many people seem to live for decades in this condition :blink: Media (not "the media") have increased all culture's contact with other cultures, and it is becoming harder and harder to live within our socially codified religious bubbles. It's not going to work for us to make every bubble the same as our own, but we all have the same things to learn. I haven't yet seen the -ism that is going to teach that to everyone though, but again, it doesn't need to be one source.
The golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - is in at least 13 major religions in one form or another. There are species survival tools that humans need to learn in order to survive as a self-reflective species, among which are the former, as well as "don't shit in your own bed". We seem to have some trouble remembering both of those.
Edited for clarity.
