Factual regurgitation, I like it well that's one of the reasons I dislike Dawkin's approach, he only regurgitates facts to back his case, for a more unbiased approach to theology ( which is not his subject ) I would say, read Armstrong, she gives all the facts, backed up by years of research, a very intelligent woman who does try to walk in another mans shoes, which I do think is a very intelligent thing to do, understanding another man's argument, his point, is a highly intelligent thing to do ( although walking a mile in an atheists shoe's, you don't give much away ).
I have Ms Armstrong on my reading list, but that list is growing rather than shrinking and has been for many years...
The thing is, claims are either right or wrong. People dislike Professor Dawkins' delivery, at times, because he's not sympathetic - he lectures and instructs, because that's his background, and the environment from which he's come. Others dislike his message, but rarely do they actually address his fundamental arguments.
By contrast, for instance, very few of them rail against Christopher Hitchens commentary, which seems strange to me as he doesn't very often actually make any sort of coherent case, he cites anecdotes and experiences which sound horrendous but are actually fairly easily dismissed: the difference is, of course, that he's talking in the language of emotion and feeling and sentiment, not of deductions and demonstrable facts.
No argument, the evidence is out there, the more economically we become the less we need Church, but that does not say anything about what we replace our religious feelings with, do we agree that we never totally rid ourselves of violent urges, we do suppress them, is it the same with our religious feelings.
I don't think so - I think you either think in a religious fashion or you don't. I think very few of the individual people change, it's that the children of people who are educated are more likely to be taught in the fashion that suits that education, which is not conducive to religion. It's generational shifts, not individual. It seems that the US is going through something along that sort of a shift at the moment, as more and more of the younger generation turn their back on any sort of spirituality or mysticism, and even those that don't are increasingly disinterested in formalised religious practice.
I think I have covered this part of your post, only to say, don't mention WLC, leave him for when our Alan ( Alien returns )
WLC is, of course, our Professor Dawkins
O.