^Everything starts with the kids in these cases, the internet is a powerful tool too, the information, ideas and discussion is alive and readily available in this sense. You need a spark of some sort. I'd like to see some sort of ethics/philosophy/religion class replace typical religious education in the U.K, which might discuss the ideas presented in a religion, like love thy neighbour and the wider implications for such an idea etc (as opposed to a simple review of what a religion says without the free flowing discussion which COULD take place if allowed). All the historical elements could be used to provide a basis, but subjects covered in eastern thought would be well received by many in my honest opinion.
It matters not that such a class might well mean little to many, merely that it provokes more of a reaction than it currently does. My impression of current R.E education in the U.K is that it's generally seen as a very boring and meaningless waste of time by too many, simply a means to an end with the end being a mere grade. Hopefully that can change in the future.
As for the differences between the religious and the non religious, I agree with those that have suggested the difference is minimal. There's an advert doing the rounds in the U.K at the moment (I can't remember of the top of my head what it's advertising
) but it involves a man who is presenting this image of a happy, contented, confident, free-flowing persona, when, inside, away from prying eyes, he's lonely I guess. Anyway, my interest in football and my local club, at times in the past was very much tribalistic, I've been seeing it all through different eyes over the past several years, appreciating the actual sport and slowly distancing myself from the media circus and gossip that surrounds it, including the fan bickering.
I guess we all hold these links to things which provide us with a basis for who we are, in respect of this advert I mentioned, I'd like to encourage a few more people (myself included) to be a bit more open with ideas and opinions, instead of looking for things to support myself, resting places (groups of people) that I can hide amongst, confident that "my" opinion matches up adequately with a sufficient amount of other people, just be happier with what is somehow (I'm not certain how to promote this though), instead of looking for the next something to bolster my image with. Holding these ideals up for everyone to grasp at, whether religious or otherwise, sometimes it all suddenly seems outrageously insane.
