As practised in these parts, anyway. It's a language problem because 'metaphysics' arguably -- needs no such social construct. (And most Murican 'religion' is far more a social experience than, anything resembling solitary contemplation)
I believe most of the interminable threads from IW --> zIWE + the fulminations of Nick et al: derive from this very confusion of er aims, methods and imagined 'results'. Language problems.
ie Not all cultures suffer in the way our locals do; why some.. manage almost the sublime, with some regularity.
Now as to whether Asimov was 'unfair' to relig(iosity)? Nahhh.
(But he ascribed to science wrongly, anyway - that which science is unsuited to deal with, by definition. Bad Isaac.)
Ashton