Religion is just a way to try to legitimize hate these days. When you have an indefensible opinion you don’t want to change, say it’s your religion and find an obscure passage to support it. It’s the refuge of the deplorable more than its proclaimed peace and love.
I didn’t say hate didn’t exist outside religion. That would be your cognitive leap. I said religion is used to attempt to legitimize hate as belief so it can be protected from scrutiny on some levels.