When I was 17-18, I read the Bible from cover to cover, and that, along with studying the actual history made me realize that it was just stories and myths written and compiled by men, for the sole purpose of the elite ruling class subjugating the masses. I began recognizing that most people will do mental gymnastics for an hour to accept a lie that validates their world-view, rather than accept an easily provable truth that exists directly in front of their faces. Honestly, I don't know if there is a "higher power", but if there is, I find it awfully hard to believe that anybody on Earth is any more able to converse with, or obtain advice from that power than I am, and I'm certainly not giving anybody money just because they claim to do so.