You also have reasoned and spoken well. I appreciate your input.
In what ways do you think religion has failed in the attempt to understand God and do you think it may be as a result of varying beliefs and doctrines as to whom he is, and how he is to be worshipped?
I can only speak about Christianity. There are attempts to honor God through meaningless ritual. When we try to worship the Creator in any way other than through Spirit, then we fail to realize that our feeble attempts to ritualize that connection fall way short.
Example: When Moses went up on the mountain to receive the ten commandments from God, the Israelites made a golden calf. That calf was an idol. It was meant to represent God, because they felt they needed a visual in order to understand Him. But it didn't work. It was just a pile of metal. The image was a far cry different from the real God, and did not in the least resemble Him.
By the same token, Christianity has instituted its own idols in an attempt to create meaningful expressions of worship, but they all fall short. The Apostle Paul told the Greeks on Areopagus that God does not dwell in temples built by man, nor is He served by human hands, yet many Christians call their churches "the house of God" and act as if their weekly worship is a favor to God. This is a feeble attempt to honor the Almighty, but it falls so short that it's a wonder so many people don't recognize it as falling short.