Poetry
Poetry is the use of language designed to elicit a purely emotional response rather than a rational one. It uses allegory and associations to conjure memories, produce novel thoughts, and convey the ineffable.
"The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical"
Scripture is poetry. It is not meant to be taken literally. It often employs soaring, wonderous language that elicits inspiration and joy. Inspirational poetry seems a lot less worrisome than authoritarian dogma, but people have both perspectives about scripture.
Poetry is great for neuroplasticity, since it juxtaposes words and concepts that you would normally never encounter together to create meaningful metaphors and emotional connections.
Jennifer Michael Hecht's book The Wonder Paradox: Embracing the Weirdness of Existence and the Poetry of Our Lives is an excellent guide to using beautiful secular poetry to create a sense of the sacred without invoking the supernatural. Here are some podcast interviews with her about it. [1][2][3]
Poetry as Religion - Jennifer Michael Hecht on The Gray Area
She advocates that each of us select some of our favorite poems to have on hand to help commemorate important occasions like anniversaries, funerals, and holidays. Poetry helps us say the things we can't easily express, especially when they involve powerful emotions. A reading can really help people embrace the importance and symbolic meaning behind the occasion.
Maria Popova is another leading advocate of poetic naturalism. Her Marginalian blog is a must-follow for fans of science and poetry. The Universe in Verse is her annual celebration of science in music and poetry, which has been compiled into an excellent book.