Will the galaxy have religions?

 Hi All,

Unlike other sci- fi people, I think that religion will actually continue with us to the stars and even when we make 'first contact' with aliens. Atheists may scoff at such an idea, but if you think about it atheists and sceptics have been throwing rocks at religion for at least 200 years and religion hasn't actually died. Indeed the more an atheist (Socialist - which isn't really an atheist socialism state c.f. Socialist states of the 20th century)  state prosecutes a religion, the stronger it gets, because in a way it gives those who follow such x, y, z religion a greater rationale for following and being more devout to that religion. 

The key question for human religions will be the matter of conversion of aliens and indeed whether aliens have a religion. Here a line is blurred between religion and philosophy/ideology. Maybe some aliens are good Marxists  or Woke. Maybe some are capitalists and that's a religion (e.g. Ferengi from Star Trek and their 'divine treasury') . Other religions may exist in the sense of the atheist or Marx's "opium of the people"  critique of them e.g. they exist to exert 'control' on populations ( Star Gate's Gaould System Lords/Ori or Deep Space Nine's Dominion) Or maybe some have their religion because it has become a form of culture, like Liberal Jews. Which reminds me there's a joke in that : 

'What is there difference between a Liberal/Reform Jew and Trump?'

Answer : Trump has Jewish grandchildren, 

 I will of course think about these musings and see if my own sci-fi has any interesting religions.