How would do we create a secular equivalent to religion? [View all]

There are many things that are good about religion. The community, charity, the fellowship, the sense of belonging. People's lack of the feeling of these things is, I believe, part of the reason we are a more selfish, self-centered, society with rampant substance abuse issues.

I believe that many, many people attend church and continue to call themselves Christian only for these more secular reasons. Not because they truly believe in the mythology of the Bible anymore than they believe in Santa.

How do we create a substitute that embodies these good things and dispenses with all the judgement, and Iron Age nonsense contained in the Bible? How do we create a sense of community without these institutions?

How do we then bring along the people who actually do believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old into reality?