Bill:

You must be conceiving of a narrow definition of religion if you believe that "it" "must strive to influence various aspects of society". It is perfectly possible, I think, to have a religious doctrine whose sole interest is making what it conceives to be "data" available to its students, solely to let them use it as they see fit as an aid to discovery.

It is also arguably contradictory to refer to organized religious groups as "religion". But I am sure these points are peripheral to what you were trying to say!


A