Hi, Jeff! You argue about interesting but not unique part of human existance. It's really complex but unsolvable "ethernal" question of our life. But everybody should ponder about such kind of world view for a reason of their own intellect expansion.

I want add from myself. There are two fundamental (and most popular) conceptions of "religion": as a social institute (organization) and as the inner condition of human being. If the first is an pragmatical instrument of society, so the second is immanent to human mental specifity.

Thaks for your attention!