Religion is the new "Model T"...out dated.

 I think you readers have a right to hear and understand what I am saying about the decline of religion's necessity. I wrote some of this as a comment and decided this is too heavy to be hidden in the comments.
Firstly, My partial background for such comments...I am active in two churches in my area, one being a multi million dollar operation of the Catholic Church/Cathedral/Catholic school...they have an immigration office that I frequent, which helps hundreds of distraught people who are in the middle of being deported, their families being ripped apart and so on...also others who desperately need pointed immigration help to get themselves legal status. I see the best, loving people... and Clergy... and everything that religion has to offer...and it is irreplaceable...as a community organization, but still, in my observation... misinformed.
This operation is all done pro bono...so I am not criticizing the Churches value to any community, but in answer to your question, No, modern religion is not as much a misunderstanding as much as it is a misdirection by good people who are themselves misdirected...going back centuries.  Respectfully, I promise you will all be in agreement with me when you read my in-depth analysis of my observations in my book in a couple weeks. The title is Shock and Awe on America, it is being printed for my approval right now by Amazon's printers... and should be available on Amazon in a couple of weeks.
My judging all religion is not misguided as I have purposely made that specific statement/critique, as part of a larger picture/observation.
Indeed everyone who worships some kind of Deity or Godly Figure is ultimately looking for peace and Global love, and that is never a bad thing. I work with Decent, real Priests weekly, and yes they are the most simple, loving people I have the honor to meet, to hug, to work with.
My point is...religion does not cause that love...just the goodness of humans helping humans...as evidenced by me and my role in this solemn story, working along with these Priests in their work with the most needy among us. Religion is an antique idea that simply teaches or helps show people how to channel that Brotherly Love...a channel we can evolve to do away with, while not stopping, but indeed increasing the unselfish love we already share. God is a different subject...a larger issue than the "God" of religion, and I look forward to discussing that.
One hundred years ago the ratio of gangs to worshippers was very small, fifty years ago that ratio showed an increase of gang members, ten years ago it was obvious the gangs were growing faster than the Worshipers...Worldwide...
Religion is losing the fight against the growing infestation of gangs in our societies, and when gang leaders are deported they simply start new gangs in other countries, making it a growing, Global crisis...one that religion has lost it's ability to counter or control. This is proven by the numbers/ratio. How prevalent is Mexican gang activity in our lives today...both in Mexico and also in our local communities?  How about the Bloods and the Crips? How about The Brotherhood and other White Power Gangs...KKK...Militia...Arian Nation Gangs...these are just the famous or known ones, there are thousands here in America and even more Globally, the increase of which is the last shove given to religion, onto the shelf of past endeavors to contain and control the population...next to the Ford Model T, which was replaced by better cars a long time ago. We did not stop using cars, we just improved them...same with our understanding of God, Heaven, Spirit, Soul, The Universe...and Us. We just need to improve understanding of the Universe and the Spirit.
We need to "Graduate" to a new way of relating to the Force we call "Heavenly"...as there are millions of families who have tasted the bitter pill of the inability of religion to save them and their loved ones from the ravages that gangs bring.
The replacement of opposing religions with a higher spiritual approach will remove the necessity for the religious fighting that punctuates our daily lives and the Global religious wars that taint our Fantastic future history as a developing Space Bound Species.  Jerusalem may indeed become one people, one group, part of Humankind, and not just remain Muslims, Christians and Jews.