Sentence:  Take a snapshot of the conflicts around the world: Sunnis vs. Shiites, Israelis vs. Palestinians, Serbs vs. Kosovars, Indians vs. Pakistanis. They seem to be driven by religious hatred. It's enough to make you wonder if the animosity would melt away if all religions were suddenly, somehow, to vanish into the <WSD>ether</WSD>. But w:James P. Carse 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The sky, the heavens; the void, nothingness.