[Timstone]

I side with Imperator and Braineyci. I too think that religion (any religion) is not something we absolutely need to become better people.
And as I stated in my first message here I said the that banishing all religion is not a viable option. Like Starhawk said, the problem is too complex for that. Yes, I said "the problem" and I meant religion and the difficulties that go with it.
Religion is not always the believe in a higher power, it can also be a strong believe in a certain way of live (Hindoeism), confidence in a leader of a country (Thailand) or an absolute dedication to the realisation of something (the progress of technology). Core of this is my definition of religion. I define religion as a very strong believe in something, for examples see the text above.

Too many kill in the name of some god or deity. The only way to eradicate acts like this is to banish all the beliefs. Unfortunately that isn't an option. So maybe it's possible to do as the Roman did; absorp all religions and adpat them slightly to accomodate everyone. Then the only problem you have is tolerance or extremism (depending how you want to translate it). So then you must find a way to let those "people" change their mind.

Oh, and a bit late, but countries like China do have a religion. They officially have no religion, but every Chinese has it's own gods (depending on where they live in China). And don't forget the religion that glorify the head of the state.

Everyone:
Please don't use the word "offensive" or "be offended" by anything that is said in this intersting thread. The name of this thread is crystalclear and you can expect to find alternate believs in this thread. So don't enter this discussion if you are easily offended by other beliefs.