the root problem is that those who own the franchises for the majority of the world's religions see them as a matter of, 'if you can't use religion to control people (and thereby gain money and power), what good is it?'
the need to feel that we are a part of something larger than ourselves - even if that something is a group of folks who think that they are more 'in the know' than 'religious folks' - is hard-wired into our monkey minds, right alongside sex, late-night pizza cravings, and the desire to kill anything 'other'.
religious leaders turned this need into a means of production, but never got past that stage, or even realized that there might be something more.
religion (and politics) is all about story. if the audience identifies with the characters, finds comfort in them and vindication, they will do almost anything to support that story. while this is clearly a form of mental illness, it can be useful for more than convincing people to give up their money, kill, or die.
story can be used to convince people that they are not someone who would kill for, die for, or be misled by storytellers. that they each have a story that is just theirs, written and lived by them, and that their story is the only one that matters... not religion, politics, ideology, philosophy, country, ethnicity, gender, sport teams, television, books, or anything else.
and that's just the beginning.