Besides it’s going to be a super virus that gets us.

"Getting our shit together" goes far beyond defeating religious idiocracy. Idiocracy comes in different colors. If human being meets its demise, it would be because of its inability to find middle ground. Finding solutions to gray areas is the biggest challenge to the human species, imo.

When we, the people of the world, put aside our petty differences, make the Political Leaders understand that they are there to serve everyone and not just themselves and the select few, realize that we do NOT own anything on this tiny chunk of rock spinning around the Sun except our own bodies, We ARE all members of the exact same species, i.e. Homo Sapiens, and that we do NOT have a mandate from some totally imagined, invisible Sky Being giving us sole dominion over everything and anything.

I think you’ve invested too heavily in an incorrect assumption. Religion is probably the single most significant contributor to our success as a species. The problem is not that we have religion, it’s that our religion has been frozen in a previous millennium and derailed by corruption. The real enemy is an amalgam of ignorance, and evolutionary mismatch. We’ve pulled the environmental rug out from under our hunter-gatherer asses, and if anything could save us at this point (which I’m not expecting) it would have to engage our evolved nature the same way religion does, but modified to conform to objective reality. It’s a tall order. I wish Homo sapiens well.

I think it will take more than atheism to save us. Perhaps a new reason to adopt old values.

It’s not our job to educate. Self enlightenment is a personal journey.

I highly disagree with your opening statement.
All cultures since the beginning of time have sought the unknown. We have certainly progressed regardless.

I guess I take offense that many people here on this site automatically feel they are superior or smarter because we don’t believe in a ‘god.’

I have plenty of intelligent friends that are religious.

So the question I would ask is Why do you find it necessary to educate people and why would you assume you’re the one to do it?

Seems pretty egotistical to me.
Personally I don’t give a fuck if there’s religion or not. It doesn’t have any influence on me or my life.

Like you I was raised as a non-believer.
I've seen and know many that are great caring people.
Their actions I honestly believe rub off on others.
I think we have a LONG way to go, but I do happen with a bit of optimism believe people will get better in general.
It may be just a lofty ideal, but I will try to be that kind of person, and hopefully others might follow.
JMHO.

How long does it take? If it hasn't happened by now.....

We can't. We can try, and be marginally successful, but overall, it's not going
to happen. It's not in our nature.
We will continue to fuck up everything we touch until we're gone from this rock.
Religion will never die out completely. Too many people can't let go of their delusions, and their crutches.

I’m beginning to view it as the same failure of humanity to be flying bubble cars and having food ‘replicated’ from a box in the wall… If humans possess the ability to free themselves from religion, it will likely take several more centuries to basically eradicate it. So unfortunately, later than sooner..

I’ve also come to realize how seriously mental illness plays havoc with humanity...

Regarding Religion, spreading Democracies could help, or not. Authoritarian rule never really works.. Perhaps it’s happening faster than I realize, though. Wasn’t raised under religion either, so at times if feels like waiting for humanity to catch up.. doesn't it

if you are brain dead you can't reason! Besides religions used to be mean to others we need a world language. One language to build more bridges to talk to each other besides the so many different wall to keep us seperated.