I'm loving this book. There is a hint of Angel Heart here. Anyway, I think I'm coming at life from the same place as the author. Here is a link to a website w/ similar thoughts as mine:

(Who is this that speaks to me with my own voice?)

Where does religion come from?

http://keithpp.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/where-does-religion-come-from/

… generally speaking, beliefs arise from an event or character that may or may not be authentic, and rapidly evolve into social movements that are conditioned and shaped by the political, economic and societal circumstances of the group that accepts them.

A large part of the mythology that develops around each of these doctrines, from its liturgy to its rules and taboos, comes from the bureaucracy generated as they develop and not from the supposed supernatural act that originated them. Most of the simple, well-intentioned anecdotes are a mixture of common sense and folklore, and all the belligerent force they eventually develop comes from a subsequent interpretation of these principles, or even their distortion, at the hands of the bureaucrats. The administrative and hierarchic aspects seem to be crucial in the evolution of belief systems. The truth is first revealed to all men, but very quickly individuals appear claiming sole authority and duty to interpret, administer and, if need be, alter this truth in the name of the common good. To this end they establish a powerful and potentially repressive organisation. This phenomenon, which biology show us is common to any social group, soon transforms the doctrine into a means of achieving control and political power. Divisions, wars, and break-ups become inevitable. Sooner or later, the word becomes flesh and the flesh bleeds.