She certainly is not a Christian. Sort of all-faiths-have-validity-God-within-each-of-us-quasi-Buddhist maybe.
And if you read the article, she admires religious Americans except for the religious right, who are defined by the Left Behind fans, and have a psychiatric disorder.
And she knows Islam is a peaceful religion, much less violent over a 1500 year history than Christians have been.
Mrs VS
You nailed it. For her, the purpose of religion is to improve the condition of man while on Earth, not to prepare him for his ultimate demise. Particularly telling was her despair at age 45. Not until she achieved literary acclaim from her writing did she feel that her life had any meaning.
Also, I wonder how she can make the case that the Axial Age was an age at all given its 700 year length and the combination of different cultures. It seems she is creating a history to fit that fits her philosophy.