i think it might appear as "edgy" for an american reader because religion is such hotly contested topic in this country whereas in germany, for example, people might be religious but it's their private business. i don't think we know remus' ancestry. i've seen people write him both as half-and-half and as pureblood. if you find some more info, let me know!

yes, it does. i usually have harry say "god" in my fic whereas draco will say "merlin".

yeah, i suppose. unless his father didn't maintain the ties to his muggle family because it was too complicated to juggle two worlds.

you don't need to be embarassed! it's a very ingrained thing in american culture. i find it difficult to explain the status of religion where i grew up. i mean it was a fairly conservative environment and all the catholic kids i knew did the first communion thing and went to church groups for social activities, and yet those kids who went to church every sunday or who were overtly religious were laughed at and mocked. basically, being religious was extremely uncool and a totally nerdy thing to do. it's not something you wanted people to know about you. so in some way, religious traditions are part of culture, but they don't really have much substance.