I like The Complete Jewish Bible's translation of that verse: The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world. There's a subtle yet important difference, I think, between religion and religious observances.
I also like your comment about anything and everything subject to being weaponized. I thought that was a great way to express the nature of the battle. It's a battle for the mind.
Indeed, when called to repent, the very subject matter is a call to change one's mind, and come out of the world and enter into the Kingdom. It's a call to come out of lawlessness, and enter into righteousness.