Religion is a formula of rites, rituals, morés, and norms designed/evolved to build and maintain a community.

The value of a religion is not in its belief in God, but in the shared story that passes down experience and wisdom and acts as a foundation for more effective and efficient communication.

To understand the power a shared story has on communication we need only to observe teenagers hanging out in their natural environment. Not only do they communicate using lyrics and quotes from their favorite songs and movies, but their talk is littered with subtle references to themes and scenes from the stories in those movies and songs. As a result, they are able to communicate far more information to one another than the words alone would otherwise communicate. This is why parents get so confused when they try to understand what their children are talking about to one another.

The future of religion is not about God, but about the story we choose to use to increase our ability to communicate.