Of Frodo and Jesus

I am a fairly open and militant atheist. I am doubtful that Jesus even ever existed and if he did I am fairly certain that he didn't do most of the things that are attributed to him... and yet I love the story. I love the idea that someone would suffer infinitely for the whole world. I feel a similar way about Mormonism, and yet I enjoy the myths, the hymns, the stories, and even enjoyed the temple ritual sometimes. I realized recently that all of that is perfectly okay. I can enjoy all of that stuff without believing any of it is true. I am a big fan of Tolkien, especially The Lord of The Rings. I enjoy the books, the movies, the art, the music, language, etc. And yet I am perfectly well aware that it is all made up. I know Frodo Baggins never lived, yet I can still appreciate the things that he did. I think that many times when we give up a belief we think we have to give up the cultural aspects of it. There is a lot of beauty in my religious heritage, whether it be Mormonism or Christianity. There is no reason to throw all of that out the window simply because I no longer take it literally. After all, I still hang stockings on Christmas eve even though I don't believe in Santa Clause.