Apparently not. I'm not a sociologist but I'm almost convinced that the type of faith certain people have towards, say, their favourite sports team or political party is very similar (biologically?) to a religious faith.
In Argentina, football fans have taken a step closer towards establishing a firm link between sports faith and religious faith. They established the Church of Maradona-God's Hand or Iglesia Maradoniana-la Mano de Dios, that reveres the football player Diego Maradona. One of its founders, Alejandro Verón, says: “I have a rational religion and that’s the Roman-catholic church, and I have a religion passed on my heart, passion, and that’s Diego Maradona."
(Why, exactly, the catholic church constitutes a rational religion requires closer examination...)
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It may be argued that reverence is not towards football but towards a specific person. So it behooves us to ask whether we can find another example of religious faith towards a living person. We don't have to go too far. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (the Queen's husband), is the God of the Vanuatu people in South Pacific.
Prince Philip is apparently well aware that he serves as God, so he makes sure that, from time to time, his photographs are shipped over to the Vanuatu people.
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