Dorothy, you're right. The world IS getting smaller. Here I am having a dialog with you in a manner that 30 years ago was almost inconceivable except to a few forward thinkers. But, is it getting better? Lot's a debate on that one. Too much thread drift involved.

Faith was NOT the question and for the most part it is an entirely different subject. You can have faith without being religious and you can have a religion without any faith.

Did I mention earlier that religion is a very broad category of human behavior? Much of it boarders on the superstitious and much of it crosses that border. In fact, I would maintain that "religion" is a substitution FOR faith. It involves ignorance, fear of the unknown and magical thinking in many instances. Most ritualized behaviour is intended to influence events and natural processes beyond our control. At best it is an act designed to pay homage to the one or the object held in highest esteem; to attribute worthiness to the same.

Science too, has some ritualized behavior attached to it, necessarily so, It is the ritual of repeating conditions under which certain predictable things will happen. Similar to religion born of faith or hope but for different reasons.

re "God". Yup Amos. God IS a verb, at least the Jewish God is. YWHW translated "I am" or "I am Who I will be". Well, its a subject and a verb. And also God is nothing, that is, no thing. If such a being is outside of the experiential universe, ie, transcendent, then He is not subject to the routine sensual and factual analysis we can give objects of scientific interest. One of those unprovable categories.

I feel that this thread is becoming helical if not circular. Maybe you should all just cast your votes for the question at hand and let it go at that.