It only seems that way because this is a Religion and Philosophy forum and it does at times provide good insight.
If you would be so kind to read the last post I directed to Boswell you will see where I have spent most of my energies and time searching. That is, inside myself.
All religion practiced with sincerity strips away from you all but the essentials of life. You are absolutely correct. What many do not understand is that they worship nothing but idols of the imagination. All you need is Faith, not works, G.d is love, if you join my religion, we are the only true religion.
At least those who venerate the statue of Buddha, or the Hindu Ganesha elephant, or some pagan god of stone or wood are worshipping something of substance. The major religions have very little substance as the friends here keep reminding us.
The purpose of religion is to harness the power of many, many individuals, not to subject them to conformity, ritual practice and the will of the religious authority. There is no moving forward unless there is a rallying point for individuals to a critical mass from which to generate real change. You and I both know that no major religion has this ability in this age.
The Baha'is call their Faith, a Unity in Diversity, that is, the individual must retain their sense of individuality, must know all truth for themselves as this is the foundation of real justice and then they must bring their gifts to the collective to share, not to be repressed into sameness. They have no clergy, are run via real democracies and have few if any ritual practices that I know of.
