[Hack&Lube]

We've been through all this before on many, many threads on CP. We always see the same posters positing the same positions. I don't think any proselytizers have converted any non-believers and none of the atheists have caused the religious to become apostate. Hopefully however, these discussions have given everyone more to think about, and outside their usual comfort zones.

I have actually given up talking about religion with many people, despite a strong yearning to do so, simply because I realize that it is a deeply entrenched position that few will ever be moved from once it is set - although I do not rule it out as an impossibility. Even if no offense is meant, you are often challenging views that define people's very lives and offense will often be taken - or their perception of you and your relationships and the level of trust may change.

Regarding this McLean's article however, the thesis is poorly constructed. The real question should be: "Are atheists more skeptical of organized charity?". The answer of course, has to be yes. It has been noted previously in this thread, that a strong motivating factor in the personalities and thought processes of atheists and agnostics is a strong sense of questioning and skepticism.