Sister Roberta,
"religion: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:"

It makes for an interesting discussion just to look at what really constitutes a religion. I heard it said once, and I have to agree, that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in God. What many call science can still be classified as a religion of sorts.

They have closely regulated beliefs that require a leap of faith. They require that all adhere to these closely held beliefs. Evolution is how the explain the beginning of all things and how they explain our purpose. It requires much faith because their suppositions have never been fully proven and there is still "the missing link." Also as science has advanced we have come to understand things more clearly. One of the tennents of evolution is that all organisms evolve from lower levels to more complicated organisms. However science has found now that the one cell amobea is actually more complex than many organisms above it. This would negate the theory of evolution at its basest level.

I say all of this just to point out that religion has many faces, many of them posing as good, and we must always be probing the information presented to us.

Thought you would enjoy this information.