I agree - I exclusively use pins to match seams or points, I pin before and after the seam. I never had a problem with fabric lining up even with longer pieces. Actually I think i would pin for borders too, but that would be the only exception.
But do what is comfortable for you!! When I started I pinned everything until I got comfortable placing stuff together, oh and got comfortable with nothing really lining up since the perfect quarter inch will always be an elusive thing for me. :) :) Once I got past those, the pins were gone from my daily use.
Cheers!
Rachel