Lead By Example

I've mentioned a few things before. The faith many people demonstrate can be inspiring. Most churches also provide community service programs to try and improve the world around them.

Moral Guidance

By and large, most people with more than token adherence to any faith are good people. While programs like sunday school may have the aim of indoctrinating the children before they can think for themselves, the programs do teach important things: no killing, no stealing, and no lying, to name a few.

Community

At some point I realized that this is something I miss. Once a week or more, you get together with bunch of people who share at least one common interest. You can talk about morality, interpretation of any holy books, and events going on in the community. Before long you have a bunch of friends and a support network in times of crises.

Symbolism

Each religion has it's own set of stories and myths. These can be used illustrate the important principles, or even just to make a point in conversation. The stories also provide material for artists, musicians, authors, and even comedians. They form a base of common knowledge that can be frequently assumed in one's present company, which makes communication easier, and gives you an automatic connection to total strangers.