I can't speak for SETI but I have faith that there's life out there but I wouldn't call it a religion. I just happen to have no problem with the idea of God creating life across the universe.
Well, if 40 years of trying without success pushes a scientific endeavour into the category of faith, I guess the liberal version of the First Amendment will require pulling all federal funding of string theory.
That's kind of stupid. It's like saying manned flight is a religion because Leonardo da Vinci envisioned it, but it didn't become reality for 500 years.
Well, really advanced sapient life forms would be too busy and important to waste their time on trash like us. What forms of communication they might be using is anybody's guess. Backward life forms, even if sapient, might be undetectable due to their being primitive [how to detect from astronomical distances a post rider from, say, 15th century? And the 15th century is rather recent one].
Don't care as long as they don't run around beheading folks or molesting children. No more room here for another ROP. Besides, it's healthy for you stay outside a lot and breath in that night air, and have weenie roasts and stuff like that with your friends. And who is to say that the first space alien would not be looking for someone who is looking for them to make first contact? Beats landing at the UN in my book.
;>
SETI a religion? I never thought of it that way, but there are characteristics they share.
As a side note, I had a professor who once worked for SETI, and he was very sensible, practical, leaned toward conservative views, believe it or not. And he was my Environmental Science professor.