My older brother was a Catholic priest, and an excellent man. He was scholarly, wise and caring, so that the influence that he exerted over his parishioners was done for good. In private conversations I came to realize that he did not believe in the mythology of Christianity, and yet was happy to “preach the gospels” because within the mythology is a recipe for personal happiness without harming others. If it turned out that Jesus and Mary were not real, and all of the saints and martyrs were merely reincarnations of pagan gods, it did not matter. He used mythology for good.
Most people are simply not capable of grasping the hard cold reality of life as it is, and need their myths.
Piece of Mindful 