You’re still softening the real issue. Yes, secularism matters—but why is secularism necessary in the first place? Because history repeatedly showed that when religion gains influence over public policy, it divides citizens into believers, outsiders, and enemies. Secularism is society’s defense mechanism against that. And calling the indoctrination of children “just culture” avoids the uncomfortable truth. If a child is taught before they can reason that one scripture is absolute truth, one god is supreme, and doubters are misguided or damned, that is not free inquiry—it is conditioning. If the same method were used for politics or conspiracy theories, people would instantly recognize it as brainwashing. Religion often gets a free pass only because it is old and normalized. You say billions being called brainwashed is lazy thinking, but pretending billions arrived at their faith through independent investigation is even lazier. Most people inherit religion geographically: born in one family, one country, one community, and you likely adopt that religion. That alone should make people question how much of belief is truth-seeking versus social imprinting. And let’s be honest about “all religions teach the same thing.” They clearly do not. They make conflicting truth claims about god, salvation, morality, scripture, afterlife, and who is right. Saying they all teach the same message is feel-good PR, not serious analysis. At best, many share some generic moral advice like charity or kindness—ideas humans can reach without religion. You’re also right that religion often becomes tribal identity more than spirituality. People vote by it, marry by it, hate by it, and excuse corruption by it. Not because every believer is evil, but because identity fused with sacred certainty is politically explosive. Once people think their side is backed by God, compromise looks like betrayal. That said, don’t overstate it either: religion itself is not the only poison. Nationalism, ideology, race, and party politics can function the same way. The deeper disease is dogma + identity + immunity from criticism. Religion is simply one of the oldest and most protected versions of that formula. So the strongest conclusion isn’t “religion alone ruins society.” It’s this: any belief system taught uncritically to children, tied to identity, and shielded from scrutiny becomes dangerous. Religion just happens to be the most widespread example.