Atheists believe in themselves?

[Silver]

If somebody bases his life on fiction, that fiction character (like Jesus perhaps) becomes more then fiction at least to that person.

If someone bases his life on a fictional character, like Dumbo perhaps, the character becomes more than fiction only in the individual's deluded mind. In reality, the fictional character remains fiction.

I am not arguing that lessons cannot be learned from fiction, because it is usually the writer's job to impart his worldview through the fictional world about which he has created and written for the reader to experience.

However, there being a lesson to learn does not make the fiction any less fictional.