I must admit I'm disappointed a bit about the news on religion in ciV. However, it might be something they address in Expansion packs.
However, if the game is as mod friendly as they say it is, it should be easy for a modder to put religions back in. Hopefully with a twist and not the exact same system as cIV.
Firaxis does pay attention to mods and if the mod has a new take on religion that works, it may well be implemented down the road.
So, the question would be, how do you alter religion to make it still fun and less cheesy? Perhaps if everyone put their heads together then it could be implemented in a mod quickly after release.
However, if the game is as mod friendly as they say it is, it should be easy for a modder to put religions back in. Hopefully with a twist and not the exact same system as cIV.
Firaxis does pay attention to mods and if the mod has a new take on religion that works, it may well be implemented down the road.
So, the question would be, how do you alter religion to make it still fun and less cheesy? Perhaps if everyone put their heads together then it could be implemented in a mod quickly after release.