At one point in my recent backpacking expedition, I came upon a shrine dedicated to the Hawaiian goddess Pele.  I was near the rim of a caldera, the remnant of a volcano that exploded thousands of years ago, a volcano which native Hawaiians believe to be the home of Pele.  By leaving offerings to Pele, some natives hope to appease her, Pele, the goddess of fire and smoke, and receive her blessings.  They ask Pele to rain her goodness upon them.
     Perhaps Pele will.  Even if God has appeared in history, as Christianity and Hinduism affirm he has, and even if one prays to God for help and blessing, however, when good things come, how do we know it is from him?
     The short answer is that, we don't.  Though we believe they are, and though we have various historical attestations of God doing such things, we cannot demonstrate the visible presence of God's hand in any blessing we receive.
     So what's the purpose of religion, anyway?  Certainly not to serve as a human slot machine.  Even though Hawaiians petition Pele for grace, and Christians, Jews, and Muslims pray to God/the Name/Allah for guidance and assistance, religion at its best is quite simple:  the acknowledgement of dependency and wonder.  It is humanity's way of reminding itself that despite its marvel, humankind is, in the end, foolish for denying that it is here for any reason other than what it can suppose on its own.
     Pele, God, the Name, Allah, Krishna, or someone else altogether, religion speaks of what we cannot, but what we so desperately need:  a reason to be other than to merely be.