Religion is now a mighty, seemingly ubiquitous force in the world. But it is often dominated by motifs like political power that evoke Adam the First. We find as well inventions of new religions—often, to be sure, for the sake of transcendence and spiritual meaning, but often, too, for the sake of pleasure, comfort, and aggrandizement. There is also even more tawdry commercialism in the selling of religion than when the Rav lodged
