I know you guys know this, and it's kicking the horse carcass, but religions probably started with good intentions, observing the "golden rule". Unfortunately, the reality is religions have also been the cause of a lot of turmoil and strife over the course of history, and have a nasty habit of polarizing people. Nowadays, some are more subtle about it than others. The dangerous thing about religion, is that people become very vulnerable, and impressionable, when they enter the "mystical" state and toss all critical-thinking and reasoning out the window.

Zen and the like, are philosophies. you can observe the spirituality on your own, you don't need to sit in front of a preacher, lecturing to you. When you observe spirituality on your own terms, eliminating the church, you also eliminate the political element (let's face it, you get a group of people together, and politics happens).