“Twain was critical of organized religion, but he was no atheist.”
I too am critical of organized religion. All religious systems are the systems of men. Religious systems are designed by man to control other men.
Jesus, God’s Son, did not come to establish a new religion. He came to establish fellowship between God and man. He paid the price, His blood shed, to make that possible. God wants those who will walk with Him. Enoch walked with God, Noah walked with God...they had fellowship with God.
All of the systems of men will collapse...the political, economid and religious...and not necessarily in that order. Each of these systems of men were designed to control others. They will be gone. Once we accept God’s offer of fellowship with Him, we have something that will last into eternity.
Atheists who want to make a big deal with their protests are acknowledging the God that they claim does not exist.
A good book on the subject is “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”