As Dante noted, militant atheists can be a stumbling block on the path to atheism, but I do not consider atheism to be the end all and be all of personal development. I hardly care what names people give to their ideals or beliefs, so long as the result is people who are loving, caring, gentle, and well-grounded.

Attacking people who are seeking to better themselves because they are not pursuing the one, right way to self-improvement seems to be counterproductive for the most part. There is room for the occasional challenge to belief, and even a small role for outspoken atheism, but these should not be allowed to get out of hand. We should not be striving to win points in the battles between religion, but to assist students on their path to personal development.