Religious prejudice - Is it the greatest challenge of the twenty first century?

The last 150 years have resulted in profound social change. One example has been the progress towards overcoming racial prejudice. It seems scarcely believable that in the nineteenth century and even a significant part of the twentieth century mainstream thinkers and social commentators assumed one race was superior to another. Such beliefs in Western cultures have largely been consigned to the fringes of civilised discourse. There are exceptions. In a similar manner the equality of men and women, once considered achievable is well established. It is undeniable that much work is still needed and there are many other significant social changes that need attention.

With the commencement of the twenty first century as if to make a mockery of Western values, religious fanaticism rears it’s head in the most unexpected ways. The West experiences acts of terrorism on its own soil and invades Afghanistan and then Iraq. We find ourselves grappling with ongoing conflict in the Middle East amidst the complexities of religious and political realities that are difficult to comprehend yet affect us all.

I don’t live in the USA but religion appears intertwined within a divisive political discourse. I don’t want to discuss much of the politics in either the West or the Middle East. However, I wonder if one of the greatest barriers for peoples of the West and Middle East understanding each other is religion and the preconceived ideas we have about each other’s beliefs.

So is religious prejudice an issue of our time or even THE issue?

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated as always. I just can’t believe how much I learn from the discussions that go on here.

adrian009 said:

I wonder if one of the greatest barriers for peoples of the West and Middle East understanding each other is religion and the preconceived ideas we have about each other’s beliefs.

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I don't see the problem as being the preconceived ideas that we have about each other's beliefs. I see it as unconsciously devaluing and depreciating the people we see as having those beliefs.

Some random thoughts:

It looks to me like the hatefulness that is doing the most damage all over the world, and threatening the most to blow up the world, is mostly being excused and camouflaged by scapegoating people across ideological lines. National and racial prejudices have been too widely discredited to be used openly as excuses for cruelty and violence, but prejudices across ideological lines are still popular enough to be used that way, blatantly and shamelessly.

Even so, it looks to me like the different kinds of prejudices are intertwined. I don't think it would be possible for people to devalue and depreciate each other across religious lines the way they do, if they weren't still doing it across racial and national lines. I think that anything that helps free us from one kind of prejudice will help free us from all the others.

Honestly, I'm not much interested in a discussion about how much of a problem it is. What would interest me would be discussions about what you or I, or anyone else here, have been doing and hoping to do about it, besides talking about it and blaming other people for it.

ETA:

Another thought is that the religious prejudices that need to be addressed are across liberal/conservative lines, both ways, as much as the lines between religions.

adrian009 said:

I don’t live in the USA but religion appears intertwined within a divisive political discourse. I don’t want to discuss much of the politics in either the West or the Middle East. However, I wonder if one of the greatest barriers for peoples of the West and Middle East understanding each other is religion and the preconceived ideas we have about each other’s beliefs.

So is religious prejudice an issue of our time or even THE issue?

Click to expand...

It appears to me to be the volatile mix of religion and politics that is causing the most trouble....it is an unholy union.

What needs to happen (and I believe it will take place soon according to Bible prophesy,) is that religion will be the casualty sacrificed for the sake of world peace....or at least that will perhaps be the auspices upon which I believe it will be undertaken. According to the Bible, there will be an international cry of "peace and security"...it will seem as if they may actually accomplish this by eliminating the most divisive thing on the planet....but no scheme of man will succeed.

The apostle Paul said...."Whenever it is that they are saying, “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, just like birth pains on a pregnant woman, and they will by no means escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Religion that fails to promote the truth has an intimate friendship with the political leaders in many nations, who often use religion to mislead the masses and give them an appearance of trustworthiness. It is a front for dominance, abuse of power, greed, violence and bloodshed however.....God will put it into the hearts of world leaders to destroy this impediment to their plan for world control. We expect to see a global government formed under the auspices of the United Nations that will usher in this rulership with a cry of "peace and security". It will be a hollow announcement.

And thankfully, it's repercussions will be short lived because it will cause world chaos as people rebel at the loss of freedom in a totalitarian rule that they try to force on everyone. This is what the Bible calls "the great tribulation"....a time of trouble that the world has never experienced before...and never experience will again. (Matthew 24:21) This is how we see it.

Hi @Jim , thank you for your response. It’s interesting to talk to another Baha’i about this topic. Although we will have differing perspectives we both have similar beliefs about a Persian prophet Bahá’u’lláh. I’m used to talking to people from different worldviews so it’s kinda cool to be talking to another Baha’i.

Jim said:

I don't see the problem as being the preconceived ideas that we have about each other's beliefs. I see it as unconsciously devaluing and depreciating the people we see as having those beliefs.

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I wonder if we’re talking about the same thing in different ways. Preconceived vs unconscious. They are both really useful words for the purpose of this discussion.

I’ve had three quite profound conversations with different Christians in the last three days. They are all really intelligent people and clearly devoted to their faith. None of them knew anything about Islam and didn’t seem to have any interest either. So I was considering how Pew research has estimated that there will be more Muslims than Christians in the world in less than 50 years. In my hometown my wife (whose not a Baha’i) is involved with the most recent intake of refugees in conjunction with Red Cross. As a nation (New Zealand) we are having increasing numbers of migrants enter our country so our population is now about 2% Muslim. It just seems odd to have absolutely no interest or curiosity to learn about another faith and I suspect there’s more than a little prejudice underneath it all. I could be wrong of course and it’s my own negative preconceived or unconscious ideas about Christians that I know and love very well.

Jim said:

It looks to me like the hatefulness that is doing the most damage all over the world, and threatening the most to blow up the world, is mostly being excused and camouflaged by scapegoating people across ideological lines. National and racial prejudices have been too widely discredited to be used openly as excuses for cruelty and violence, but prejudices across ideological lines are still popular enough to be used that way, blatantly and shamelessly.

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For me, you have captured it well. I’m trying to understand it better. That’s why I started the thread.

I suppose three main ideologies that link in with politics and nationalism are Christianity, Islam and communism. Race comes into the mix too. There’s certainly those divisions and a tribal type mentality that justifies an us versus them type mentality. It’s just brutal beyond comprehension what one group is prepared to do or will threaten to do to the other. With increasing availability and access to WMD and nuclear weapons it’s a major threat to us all.

Jim said:

Even so, it looks to me like the different kinds of prejudices are intertwined. I don't think it would be possible for people to devalue and depreciate each other across religious lines the way they do, if they weren't still doing it across racial and national lines. I think that anything that helps free us from one kind of prejudice will help free us from all the others.

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I agree.

Jim said:

Honestly, I'm not much interested in a discussion about how much of a problem it is. What would interest me would be discussions about what you or I, or anyone else here, have been doing and hoping to do about it, besides talking about it and blaming other people for it.

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The first conversation for me involves establishing a shared understanding that there is a problem and what the nature of that problem is. What to do about it is the next step. Just talking and blaming seems limited. We need to take it further. What are your thoughts about the next steps then? I recall you had ideas about online communities. I’ve mentioned what I’m doing in a previous thread.

Jim said:

ETA:

Another thought is that the religious prejudices that need to be addressed are across liberal/conservative lines, both ways, as much as the lines between religions.

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Politics seems to make it much worse. The liberal/conservative lines appear just as divisive as the lines separating religion. That why I’m not keen on talking politics too much. It muddies the waters, rather than bringing much needed clarity where understanding is desperately needed.

Thanks again for sharing. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for your post @Deeje

Deeje said:

It appears to me to be the volatile mix of religion and politics that is causing the most trouble....it is an unholy union.

Click to expand...

I agree.

Deeje said:

What needs to happen (and I believe it will take place soon according to Bible prophesy,) is that religion will be the casualty sacrificed for the sake of world peace....or at least that will perhaps be the auspices upon which I believe it will be undertaken. According to the Bible, there will be an international cry of "peace and security"...it will seem as if they may actually accomplish this by eliminating the most divisive thing on the planet....but no scheme of man will succeed.

Click to expand...

Certainly people in both our countries are abandoning religion in droves. It’s been well researched. One of the main reasons is the religious narrative about Jesus, the virgin birth, the miracles, salvation, Satan, the resurrection etc that made so much sense for centuries, just doesn’t seem plausible to many people living in the modern world. It’s like the lights are going out, especially for younger people. I suspect other turn-offs will be the divisions within religions and between different religions, and the tendency of some religious adherents to aggressively proselytise. Neither of us do that.

People quite rightly see the hypocrisy of those professing religious beliefs. Beyond that the moral standards amongst so called followers of religion don’t seem much better than those who simply choose to live a good life without Faith in God.

The result is increasing cynicism and skepticism in attitudes towards religion. I’m sure you are experiencing this just as much as the Baha’is.

The problem is that as human beings we need God whether we believe in Him or not. We are fundamentally spiritual beings and have been created to know and to worship God. A spiritual path or religion give us a moral compass, a purpose and empowers us to many things that would not be possible otherwise.

So the result of this shift away from religion is a general moral decline increased corruption, greed, selfishness, hedonistic pursuits, lawlessness, mental health problems including suicide, and addictions.

Another aspect is that God’s guidance is not just for individuals but also for communities and the institutions that govern them. That extents to nations and indeed the whole world.

Some of the words of the founder of my faith Bahaullah that seem particularly relevant:

The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?

The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.

Deeje said:

The apostle Paul said...."Whenever it is that they are saying, “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, just like birth pains on a pregnant woman, and they will by no means escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

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I believe we both agree that Isaiah has verses that relate to peace on earth and a time when all nations will work together for the good of all?

Isaiah 2:2-5, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:6-9

As you may appreciate a large chunk of Armageddon for Baha’is has largely come and gone. Part of that was WWI and WWll. Bahá’u’lláh wrote to the leaders and rules of the world in the 19th century informing them He was the Promised One of all ages and what they needed to do to avoid the impending catastrophe. Predictably they world rulers ignored Gods message and so chaos soon followed.

That doesn’t mean to say that more bad stuff won’t happen. It will. But we’re not seeing this century anywhere near as much conflict between nations as we were in the twentieth century,

Deeje said:

Religion that fails to promote the truth has an intimate friendship with the political leaders in many nations, who often use religion to mislead the masses and give them an appearance of trustworthiness. It is a front for dominance, abuse of power, greed, violence and bloodshed however.....God will put it into the hearts of world leaders to destroy this impediment to their plan for world control. We expect to see a global government formed under the auspices of the United Nations that will usher in this rulership with a cry of "peace and security". It will be a hollow announcement.

Click to expand...

All the main religions have to some extent become enmeshed in politics. The Baha’is remain aloof as does your faith for different reasons. The Jehovah Witnesses await the eschatological drama. The Baha’i Faith is that eschatological event. We are therefore working with those who share a vision of a more peaceful prosperous and just society to move closer to this goal. The world in many respects is much better than before WWI. Less racism, sexism, slavery and nationalism. More global cooperation and prosperity. Peoples of very different backgrounds working together to continue building the better world that God has promised us.

Deeje said:

And thankfully, it's repercussions will be short lived because it will cause world chaos as people rebel at the loss of freedom in a totalitarian rule that they try to force on everyone. This is what the Bible calls "the great tribulation"....a time of trouble that the world has never experienced before...and never experience will again. (Matthew 24:21) This is how we see it.

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This reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and Christ’s admonition to heed the sign of the times (Matthew 16:3)

It’s great that you teach people about the bible and Jesus. This is an essential foundation to better understanding two religions that have come after Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith. Keep up the good work.

With your knowledge about prophecy such as the book of Daniel and Revelation we may even find a few points to agree on there.

Nice talking as always

adrian009 said:

The last 150 years have resulted in profound social change. One example has been the progress towards overcoming racial prejudice. It seems scarcely believable that in the nineteenth century and even a significant part of the twentieth century mainstream thinkers and social commentators assumed one race was superior to another. Such beliefs in Western cultures have largely been consigned to the fringes of civilised discourse. There are exceptions. In a similar manner the equality of men and women, once considered achievable is well established. It is undeniable that much work is still needed and there are many other significant social changes that need attention.

With the commencement of the twenty first century as if to make a mockery of Western values, religious fanaticism rears it’s head in the most unexpected ways. The West experiences acts of terrorism on its own soil and invades Afghanistan and then Iraq. We find ourselves grappling with ongoing conflict in the Middle East amidst the complexities of religious and political realities that are difficult to comprehend yet affect us all.

I don’t live in the USA but religion appears intertwined within a divisive political discourse. I don’t want to discuss much of the politics in either the West or the Middle East. However, I wonder if one of the greatest barriers for peoples of the West and Middle East understanding each other is religion and the preconceived ideas we have about each other’s beliefs.

So is religious prejudice an issue of our time or even THE issue?

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated as always. I just can’t believe how much I learn from the discussions that go on here.

Click to expand...

Climate Change, Human induced Ecological Destruction and Mass Extinction, Population Growth, Water and Food Scarcity, Rising Inequality and other Vulnerabilities of the Current Economic Structure will score higher in my list.

sayak83 said:

Climate Change, Human induced Ecological Destruction and Mass Extinction, Population Growth, Water and Food Scarcity, Rising Inequality and other Vulnerabilities of the Current Economic Structure will score higher in my list.

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These are all problems that can be solved with better global cooperation and a concern for the well-being of the whole planet and all its inhabitants. We had a radical change after WWII with the establishment of the UN and institutions to oversee socioeconomic development. All these institutions need radical reform of course.

What are your thoughts about the solutions?

sayak83 said:

Climate Change, Human induced Ecological Destruction and Mass Extinction, Population Growth, Water and Food Scarcity, Rising Inequality and other Vulnerabilities of the Current Economic Structure will score higher in my list.

Click to expand...

The solution is a unifying ideology that encompasses more than just private spirituality and religious social codes but also includes a common justice system for all (who inhabit this planet) and a common socio-economic system that furthers the well-being of all living beings (not as now focussed on the selfish needs of priviliged elites).

adrian009 said:

... thank you for your response. It’s interesting to talk to another Baha’i about this topic. Although we will have differing perspectives we both have similar beliefs about a Persian prophet Bahá’u’lláh.

Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I've learned from numerous painful experiences that membership in the Baha'i Faith, or people calling themselves "Baha'is," doesn't tell me anything about their beliefs, or their attitude towards Baha'u'llah. I've known Baha'is who told me frankly that they aren't trying to follow Baha'u'llah, and others who see no more in Him than a political liberal ahead of his time, who got his progressive ideas from advanced thinkers in Europe. We may or may not have similar views about Baha'u'llah. My views about Baha'u'llah are continually evolving. I'm not following Baha'u'llah because of any beliefs I have about Him. I've learned from experience to trust Him, but I'm not sure that's the whole reason. I think He might have enchanted me or put a spell on me, or as He says, seized and possessed my heart.

I wonder if we’re talking about the same thing in different ways. Preconceived vs unconscious.

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That was not my point at all. My point was not to make a distinction between "preconceived" and "unconscious." My point was that I don't think that people need to stop hating each other's beliefs, before they can stop hating each other. In fact I think that people trying to explain their beliefs to each other might do more to help perpetuate religious divides than to help end animosities and hostilities across them.

I’ve had three quite profound conversations with different Christians in the last three days. They are all really intelligent people and clearly devoted to their faith. None of them knew anything about Islam and didn’t seem to have any interest either. So I was considering how Pew research has estimated that there will be more Muslims than Christians in the world in less than 50 years. In my hometown my wife (whose not a Baha’i) is involved with the most recent intake of refugees in conjunction with Red Cross. As a nation (New Zealand) we are having increasing numbers of migrants enter our country so our population is now about 2% Muslim. It just seems odd to have absolutely no interest or curiosity to learn about another faith and I suspect there’s more than a little prejudice underneath it all. I could be wrong of course and it’s my own negative preconceived or unconscious ideas about Christians that I know and love very well.

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Thank you for that story. I think storytelling is a good way of communicating, and I'm hoping to learn to do it more, and better.

What are your thoughts about the next steps then?

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I've said everything I could think of to say for now, in these threads:
- Cross-divide encouragement and support for helping to spread the best kinds of love and knowledge
- Storytelling to promote fellowship, listening and learning across divides
- If you’re practicing self improvement and community service for a better world and to help others
- Learning to ignore ideological dividing lines
- Individual initiatives to help improve popular attitudes and behavior in Internet discussions
- Human nature and human experience as grounds for togetherness across religious divides

I don't know what else to say about any of that, until someone else says something about it.

Marcion said:

The solution is a unifying ideology that encompasses more than just private spirituality and religious social codes but also includes a common justice system for all (who inhabit this planet) and a common socio-economic system that furthers the well-being of all living beings (not as now focussed on the selfish needs of priviliged elites).

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No its not. Any unifying ideology will become tyrannical, necessarily. Freedom of expression of individuality, beliefs and conscience is the only check against ideological tyranny.

sayak83 said:

No its not. Any unifying ideology will become tyrannical, necessarily. Freedom of expression of individuality, beliefs and conscience is the only check against ideological tyranny.

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It will have to be a benevolent ideology that everyone except immoral people can feel comfortable with. Without such an ideology the immoralists in this world will continue their tyranny of the population and the environment because they are at present quite unified in how they control the planet and its populations. There are already small signs of a careful beginning of moralists becoming more united, but they are still struggling to define this common ideology that will allow them to become a truly unified force. If you would have said thirty or even twenty years ago that this ideology would have to include sustainability no-one would have believed you. People are waking up to the idea that we will need planet-wide solutions and these will need to be enforced to happen at all.

adrian009 said:

These are all problems that can be solved with better global cooperation and a concern for the well-being of the whole planet and all its inhabitants. We had a radical change after WWII with the establishment of the UN and institutions to oversee socioeconomic development. All these institutions need radical reform of course.

What are your thoughts about the solutions?

Click to expand...

I believe in decentralization and finding of local solutions through grassroot community centric efforts. There will never be one solution fits all type of thing. For example the indigenous people should be given stewardship and the rewards of protecting their forests, so too the fishermen folk should be given stewardship of the aquatic resources. Population control should be achieved by empowering women to take decisions about family planning. Every community, urban or rural should be encouraged to take cooperative ownership of their neighborhood and its upkeep. People should find their own distinctive way to be stewards of their small corner of the world. That is the way forward.

Marcion said:

It will have to be a benevolent ideology that everyone except immoral people can feel comfortable with. Without such an ideology the immoralists in this world will continue their tyranny of the population and the environment because they are at present quite unified in how they control the planet and its populations. There are already small signs of a careful beginning of moralists becoming more united, but they are still struggling to define this common ideology that will allow them to become a truly unified force. If you would have said thirty or even twenty years ago that this ideology would have to include sustainability no-one would have believed you.

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It will become just another tyranny.

sayak83 said:

It will become just another tyranny.

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Having a cynical or defeatist mentality is not going to be helpful.

The control will have to be on a global scale, but the actual control of the economy will have to be decentral on the level of actual communities. At the moment capitalism is globally organised (banks, governments cooperating to further capitalism and large companies) and it has no regard for the well being of local communities.

Jim said:

Not necessarily. I've learned from numerous painful experiences that membership in the Baha'i Faith, or people calling themselves "Baha'is," doesn't tell me anything about their beliefs, or their attitude towards Baha'u'llah. I've known Baha'is who told me frankly that they aren't trying to follow Baha'u'llah, and others who see no more in Him than a political liberal ahead of his time, who got his progressive ideas from advanced thinkers in Europe. We may or may not have similar views about Baha'u'llah. My views about Baha'u'llah are continually evolving. I'm not following Baha'u'llah because of any beliefs I have about Him. I've learned from experience to trust Him, but I'm not sure that's the whole reason. I think He might have enchanted me or put a spell on me, or as He says, seized and possessed my heart.

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Hey, at least we’ve both heard the name Bahá’u’lláh. I’m sure your time serving the Baha’i community has provided you with some familiarity with His Teachings as it has for me.

I just love this gem from Shoghi Effendi:

If we allow our attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others right and remedy their faults, we are wasting precious time. We are like ploughmen each of whom has his team to manage and his plough to direct, and in order to keep his furrow straight he must keep his eye on his goal and concentrate on his own task. If he looks to this side and that to see how Tom and Harry are getting on and to criticize their ploughing, then his own furrow will assuredly become crooked.
(Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, p. 92)

You may have the measure of me somewhat as I do you. What does it matter? A little of you has rubbed off on me. I know we’re in a different space about how we understand the Baha’i writings in regards homosexuality. Does it really matter? You may be a ‘liberal’ Baha’i for all I know. I’ve never met one that’s used that label. If you do It’s fine by me. Heck, we had Sen McGlinn join us last year. None of us stressed.

Jim said:

That was not my point at all. My point was not to make a distinction between "preconceived" and "unconscious." My point was that I don't think that people need to stop hating each other's beliefs, before they can stop hating each other. In fact I think that people trying to explain their beliefs to each other might do more to help perpetuate religious divides than to help end animosities and hostilities across them.

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That’s a fair point. Abdul-Baha talked about safety in silence. Bahá’u’lláh talked about deeds not words. We do need Baha’is who can express their views well when appropriate though.

Jim said:

Thank you for that story. I think storytelling is a good way of communicating, and I'm hoping to learn to do it more, and better.

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That’s good then.

Jim said:

I've said everything I could think of to say for now, in these threads:
- Cross-divide encouragement and support for helping to spread the best kinds of love and knowledge
- Storytelling to promote fellowship, listening and learning across divides
- If you’re practicing self improvement and community service for a better world and to help others
- Learning to ignore ideological dividing lines
- Individual initiatives to help improve popular attitudes and behavior in Internet discussions
- Human nature and human experience as grounds for togetherness across religious divides

I don't know what else to say about any of that, until someone else says something about it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I’ll check them out when I have some time.

sayak83 said:

I believe in decentralization and finding of local solutions through grassroot community centric efforts. There will never be one solution fits all type of thing. For example the indigenous people should be given stewardship and the rewards of protecting their forests, so too the fishermen folk should be given stewardship of the aquatic resources. Population control should be achieved by empowering women to take decisions about family planning. Every community, urban or rural should be encouraged to take cooperative ownership of their neighborhood and its upkeep. People should find their own distinctive way to be stewards of their small corner of the world. That is the way forward.

Click to expand...

I agree with all this. The phrase “think globally, act locally“ comes to mind. We’ve become too interdependent to turn back the clock but grassroots community building initiatives are essential. Working together side by side at a community level can reduce barriers between people. It’s often much more effectively than talking religion as another mentioned. Discussing religion if people aren’t in the right space can aggravate problems.

Religion will always divide more than it brings people together.

It is like a catalyst that forms clumps in a fluid.
creating more religions just creates more and different clumps of people.
True the individual clumps perhaps are smaller. but they are no less antagonistic toward each other.

This is as true in small communities as it is in larger ones.
Religion is often the major dividing factor in communities of otherwise like minded folk.

Terrywoodenpic said:

Religion will always divide more than it brings people together.

It is like a catalyst that forms clumps in a fluid.
creating more religions just creates more and different clumps of people.
True the individual clumps perhaps are smaller. but they are no less antagonistic toward each other.

This is as true in small communities as it is in larger ones.
Religion is often the major dividing factor in communities of otherwise like minded folk.

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So the solution to religious prejudice is elimination of religion?

adrian009 said:

So the solution to religious prejudice is elimination of religion?

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Yes, to remove those aspects of traditions that make them into religions.
This will take time because many people in the world are still stuck in the phase of clinging to superstitions and other forms of irrational belief which give them the illusion that religions actually mean something.

Marcion said:

Yes, to remove those aspects of traditions that make them into religions.
This will take time because many people in the world are still stuck in the phase of clinging to superstitions and other forms of irrational belief which give them the illusion that religions actually mean something.

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I can't that happening in a hurry. Can you?

Its been tried by force through communism. The result was a disaster.