I am not sure if i can say i leave this or joined that but by learning more about the world, the knowledge making processes & Science i can comfortably say that religious practice is just a tool to continue the earlier traditions to preserve them as a source for understanding the evolution of human societies & no puja or God is real it's all just a show but it is essential as well in many ways because it was the preservation aspect of Indic civilization which has had a lot of impact in various ways all over the world & it is this impact that makes me want to continue the practices on one hand while having a complete knowledge that they are just like 'Show-biz' which does nothing in the real world on other hand.
For e.g. - Check the following paper to know the kind of impact in the world i am proud of.
If you read about Jain texts, you will realise how misogynistic it is. Jain texts say that a woman cannot attain moksha. She will have to be reborn as a man to attain moksha. This
Also I would request like to request their sources for the claims your friend is making. Please ask your friend if he has read the so called correct translation according to him? If so I would like a link please
If they have not read it they can use this one
Manusmriti : Text with Sanskrit Commentary & English Translation (2 Vols. Set) [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2014] Dr. N.C. Panda https://www.amazon.com/dp/8180903486/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_JHWAN622855D0XN0S7VC
I think it's by a Sanskrit Prof.
This question was addressed quite satisfactorily in a pop history book I read recently, called The Sceptical Patriot by Sidin Vadukut. In brief, a lot of the "facts" given in the popular forwarded email with this title are explored, and found to be hokum. Although Sanskrit does have a rigid grammatical structure (just like Latin), this area of research has definitely been deemed unfruitful, and has been abandoned.