I know a lot of academics, personally. They all pay lipservice and cotow to the woke mob. But behind closed doors, some of them are very right-wing. Though some of them do believe in this religion.
Razib Khan has said the same.
So, you have some cowards and a lot of "true believers", or vice versa; who knows. Like the Communists of the 20s and 30s and the Cultural Revolution Warriors of Mao's China or the Pol Pot monsters, it's all the same, with, of course, the right wing versions like the Nazis as well.
Humanism isn't enough; some people need a fanatical belief system, a religion, as you say, which divides everyone into two groups: the "holy" us and the "evil" them who have to be destroyed to funnel all the rage and aggression from their sorry souls.
Like the Communists of the 30s during the show trials or the fellow travelers in the west in the 50s and even 60s, and the unrepentant Nazis hiding in the shadows, facts, reality, can't touch them, nor logic. That's why discussion with them is useless. What has to be done is to apply to all those who haven't taken sides or who are just going along to save their jobs and social standing and get them to vote all of this into oblivion.
It can start small. My local School Board had an election last year. Three spots were open and all three were filled by people against CRT. There's a new election in May for two spots and there's motivated, grass roots funded people running for the two spots. Then on to state representatives and then federal ones.
This is what has to be done. People also have to vote with their wallets. No money to universities awash in this nonsense. No buying products from companies which have caved this way and on and on. It can be done and can happen just as quickly as the spread of WOKEDOM.