> There is a lot of figures in our culture today who basically advocate this. People who declare themselves to be atheists but tell disoriented youth to just 'p

> There is a lot of figures in our culture today who basically advocate this. People who declare themselves to be atheists but tell disoriented youth to just 'pretend to believe'. And it really has the quality of LARPing. It will not move anyone forward philosophically. I think you can come up with your own (stretched) interpretation of Christianity that doesn't require belief in the divine, and I think that approach, taking an existing societal value system that works pretty well, makes a lot more sense than trying to build a new one from scratch and getting everyone to buy into it. Personally speaking, I used to be somewhat of a militant atheist. I was really engaged with the whole new athiest movement of 00's. But I've distanced myself from that, I certainly don't try anymore to persuade people away from their belief. I don't describe myself as a Christian, although I do think that western society is built upon it's values. Maybe that's LARPing, inauthentic, not philosophically rigorous, but it's good enough for me.