faith seems to be a very personal thing, belief is someone else's view of it.
everything can be coloured by the views of the onlooker.
eg Freud saw religion as an infantile desire for parental protection.
Jung saw religion as the fulfillment of a basic human need.
some belief systems (eg some forms of buddhism) practise irony and self questioing as an art form. rather than imposing held beliefs, they continually challenge held beliefs, n perceptions. by challenging methods of thinking, they are practising logic, using analytical skills and debating techniques like any greek philosopher might.
a strong belief in athiesm is a dogma like any other, and as limiting.
some forms of religion have moved away from icons, projecting human identities, personalities or motives on to a view of a spiritual being or consciousness. but how does a human mind grasp something non human. can it?
religions teach various methods to help (a human mind to grasp ..) while those methods, costumes, rituals, statements, songs, dances, frenzies, quiet moments all vary, some people benefit from these methods and achieve an experience of insight, one ness, closeness..