"Atheists were presumably without religion, yet the great salvation-promising movement of the twentieth century was atheistic communism. People were converted to it as to other visionary religions. Salvation is, of course, the achievement of an ideal state of being, whether in life or after death, a transformation of self whether through individual endeavor or through collective effort to transform society. When we stop to look at what the concerns are that people are addressing through prayer, ritual, magic, etc., we find that they have to do with the state of their selves and the selves of others who matter to them, including the state of the groups with which people identify themselves.What is addressed is the maintenance of selves as people wish them to be, the repair of damage to selves (as from pollution and illness) and the enhancement of selves (as with rites of passage and rites to earn merit). These rites may be elaborate or they may be as simple as avoiding stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk or carrying a rabbit’s foot. Our folk wisdom recognizes this when we speak of people doing their morning exercises religiously or making a religion of their business. A customary practice that is readily abandoned in favor of another lacks religious value for people. Their selves are not threatened by it. The greater the emotional distress, exhibited by the suggestion that a custom be abandoned, the greater the religious (i.e., self-maintaining) value it has for those who are distressed. The equivalent of children’s security blankets are legion."

- Ward Goodenough, In Pursuit of Culture