I am an atheist, but I grew up in a family and culture of non-conformist Christianity and I think the distinction made by Gofer is very interesting. Most of my family who continue to think of themselves as Christian (although they are dying out) just follow the customs and conventions put in front of them - and like the comfort of familiar rituals and settings. They just happened to be born in a time and place where that was accepted (often unquestioned) as the norm.

But my dad, now dead, was a free thinker and described himself as a secular Christian, and he and the like-minded group he was part of as 'the heretics'. He had no time for religion but chose to believe in the values and morals that he took from the life of Jesus as described in the Bible. I don't think he believed in heaven or hell, or God or the devil. He did see the bible as a series of fables and metaphors - some of which (New Testament) offered a guide to living a 'good life'. He definitely saw religions (all religions) as human constructs that evolved over time and had little to do with faith or moral codes. He saw them as organisations (and cultures) that operate like corporations for controlling people with The Pope or the Archbishop Of Canterbury as CEOs of Christianity plc.

We had endless arguments about this stuff and never agreed - except maybe about the historical role of organised religion.