The way I view it is this...especially with religious things. If religion is such a big part of your life that you express it outside of your religious circle then you should be prepared to back up your view civilly and without altercation...a true follower of a religion should understand that not everyone has found their god and some that have did not find the god that another follows.
It is one of those things I don't believe in political correctness with, if someone can tell me about their god...I can tell them why I don't think he exists or why he doesn't apply to me...it should not be a problem if that person believes I am an equal as a human being. If it is a problem, it is because they believe their god is more important than your life experience.
Referring to your quote, religion as an organization was created by man and is less important than the virtues of a single man. I will not negate someone for their beliefs, but in the same respect that religious person should respect my view and not force an argument when I say anything other than I believe.
As far as applying religion to "maintaining fiction" I would think not...here is an unrelated explanation of my why. \/
When your a kid...santa is real..because you believe he is real...though physically no one ever sees him (besides the drunk one at the mall)...the thought is real enough to effect a child...(be good or santa wont come here) and the actions caused because of those beliefs make santa real to a degree. Does it prove or disprove him in a scientific manner...absolutely not...but a child behaving because santa "is watching' is as real as it gets. For someone who doesn't believe, it is fiction...but for a person who believes it is the opposite of fiction, they make real actions based on that thought. To maintain fiction, you would have to know it is not true and be lying...in this case parents would be maintaining the fiction not the children who actually believe.
Relate that to religion, someone who believes doesn't maintain fiction because they believe the teaching of their group to be true.
On the other hand for a person who doesn't believe, shutting their mouth and not voicing an opinion is actually them maintaining the fiction for someone else, because it is them that believes it to be untrue and not the other person who actually believes it.
That is my view with it at any rate.
