I cannot tell you how much this article resonated with me. I read it, then re-read, then re-read again. Went to bed, woke up and am re-reading. You have beautifully articulated the different ways people verbalize faith, what is of comfort or discomfort. I a with people who don't believe as I do almost 12 hours a day - the words that I have learned through the years are, to them, like speaking Martian. It has nothing to do with the sincerity of the words, it's that for me, they don't work - I am an impostor and sound like one. I live in the North East and I recognize it is a place all it's own in terms of faith, even charitable giving is not a tax-deductible option so you don't get any pretense of why you give. But your last paragraph summarized it well - your last sentence best of all "Instead of struggling to use a voice that is not mine, to reflect a faith I could not claim...I use the one I have" and that's what I have had to learn." I may ask to repost this...