The blues has seemingly always incorporated religious reference in some way. The storied past of both the genre and the artists who performed the music have carried religious influence which over time seeped into the music itself. While the essence of the blues has remained constant, the acceptance of the blues as a product of religious influence has been a debatable topic. However, from my research I have come to the conclusion that the thought of the blues as a genre of non-religion, a music played by those who rejected the nature of the Church, especially in the early to mid-20th century, was more so shaped by cultural biases and a run-of effect of the "traditional" beliefs of a bygone era. 

Rather, I have come to the conclusion that the blues, in essence, is a genre which attempts to provide an informal setting in which spiritual celebration can commence. By providing a musical genre and performance which can acknowledge the realities of life with the resolve found in modern religion, in a way providing a more down to earth way of expressing ones religious ideals.