I'm glad that you can't tell, because the point is that it's ISN'T pro or anti-religion. =)

I was raised in Rome, Italy, and went to Catholic school run by Roman nuns. It's been a big influence on Claire's experience at the abbey. Although I've had a lot of negative personal experience with Catholicism, as a kid I really obsessed over the Sound of Music and Sister Act, perhaps because they depicted such a different view of what a nun's life was like.

I find religion/myth to be really interesting, especially because as different as they are, they all have some similarities, too. Although I've never studied religion in a class, it's sort of a personal hobby of mine- I've always been interested in what makes people tick and act the way they do. Religions are undeniably a big influence on that. Everything from Christianity to Greek myth to ufology to suicide cults- whether you believe them or not, whether you think they are good or evil, they are all thought-provoking and worth exploration for a better understanding of human nature.

I think at best, they are the excuse to bring huge masses of people together to do great good and collaborate in some of the most fantastic creative works and stories people have ever made. On the other hand, religion is also used as a tool to manipulate, enslave, and kill. I don't believe it is entirely good or entirely evil- but I do think it's a pretty incredible phenomena, the way it can completely possess us and dictate our lives.