>>Both systems have obvious flaws. And either in combination or separately they have given us slavery, anti-slavery, atrocity and sacrifice for a greater good, war and peace.

Agreed. It's easy to demonize, not so easy to find something better. As Churchill had it: "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." Religion seems to have been associated with some of the finer features of humanity as well- and a cynic could observe that the increasing denigration of religion in living memory is strongly associated with loss of freedom and happiness in Western society. I wonder who future generations will blame that on if we refuse to blame the usual cynical few abusive types surrounded by today's lumpen mass of couch potatoes.