I always describe religion as finite beings attempting to quantify infinite concepts. It is important to differentiate between faith and religion though. A person's faith to me is a personal relationship with their maker, god, higher being etc and/or belief system. Religion is much more about control and power like Miles said. That being said I find it just as arrogant and absurd to believe there is no higher power, supreme being or whatever you want to call it as believing that human's can understand or comprehend these things. How someone can look at the tremendous complexities of the human race and our world and not see an intelligent design is just as unfathomable to me as someone telling me that they can explain it all to me.