Bro, your AMA has been delightful to read. I'm a humanist/agnostic atheist who grew up in the Lutheran church. I have a lot of respect for religions from an academic standpoint, but came to believe that faith is not a construct that fits with my beliefs. That said, and I made this point to someone in a totally separate thread, the tenets of say, Christianity, aren't bad and are a decent model to follow, so far as to be a good person whether faith is part of the personal belief system, or not.

I'm not a believer in Pascal's Wager; however, I've known and encountered so many unsavory Christians (not to mention other faiths' adherents) who would wilfully smile and gladhand come Sunday but never lift a finger for anyone but themself and their own. Many repugnant people, whose faith in salvation is effectively moral hazard, in the same way as an insurance policy may correlate with increased risk-taking. All this said, I'd rather aspire to be a good, decent person - of no faith.

Merry Christmas & happy holidays to you and yours.