A passage from Chapter 82 of “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown which speaks to the nature of religion and faith:

“. . ., every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith – acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors.”

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“Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.”

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“Religious allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality helps millions of people cope and be better people.”

The following link to a piece by Bishop John S. Spong is well worth reading and should lead to some reflection and introspection: http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/vox20598.html