Religion

I see religion as a framework (as well). It's a framework for spiritual practice, particularly shared spiritual experience. That to me is closer to its core. And its abuse by individuals and institutions is a tragedy but also symbolic of its inherent power. It's not religion that is bad but its misuse. Just as government itself is not bad, but its misuse is. Corporations are not at their core bad but people misusing this business structure for ill or with bad consequences, intended or not, is bad.

There are so many analogies of human frameworks that can be used for productivity, or enhancements to our quality of life, that can be and are abused by opportunistic, deceiving bullshitters for their own gains at the expense of others. Religion happens to be one of the more powerful ones. As social animals, we humans will naturally seek shared community experience particularly about questions of life, reality, its origins and our place in all of it.

So I do not believe religion can be gotten rid of. Maybe in name but it will crop up again because it is a fundamental expression of being human. Sucks that it's abused...big time. But its core, its archetype, its essence is something humans express their potential through, good or bad. That's how I see it anyway.