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alex: I guess I agree with spiritual_emergency in that some atheists can be just as intolerant in their views as some religious folk can be in theirs.

The word would be "some". "Some" reformed smokers can be every bit as bad -- they think they can get you to stop by telling you all kinds of horror stories but more often than not, the only thing they do is push you away. It might be different if each time they saw you they told you how much they enjoyed not smoking anymore. Provided it was done with an attitude of sharing that arose out of their genuine and sincere enjoyment, that kind of attitude might start to rub off. At the very least, you wouldn't want to pretend you're not home if they knock on the door.

The crucial point is, no one else can come up with our particular answers because they don't have our particular questions. That's not to say that we can't learn from others but there aren't many people past the age of two who want to be forcefully spoon-fed -- yet we all enjoy sharing a good meal with fine company.