Throughout my life I have taken a great interest in the majority of the world's religions and a more specific interest in the four faiths discussed in this work. These four faiths are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, and I have practiced them all at some point in my lifetime.

As someone who labels themselves a Henotheist (one who believes in the existence of a "God" or a "Universal Essence" without denying the existence of other divine possibilities), it is crucial for me to make it abundantly clear that this thesis's argument for one religion's exceptional effectiveness solely pertains to religious aspects that concern the problems posed by individual suffering. This work is in no way intended to be an argument for the overall superiority of one particular religion. The argument for the supremacy of one religion is a war better left unwaged.