Bad Religion?

Last year I read a couple of the top-selling, so-called "Atheist Manifesto" books: The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, and Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris. I read them because I'm interested in why someone would choose to be an Atheist, and also because I want to know what the current arguments are against Christianity and belief in general so I can see how my faith stands up.
Atheists used to argue that belief in (a) God/god was simply irrational, but today their argument has changed somewhat. Now many Atheists such as Dawkins, Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (god is NOT Great) are taking a new approach. The argument today goes something like this: not only is belief in God irrational, religion in general is downright harmful to humankind and "poisonous" to society. They site obvious examples from the past, such as the Conquests and witch-hunts, and more recent examples such as Islamic extremism in the world and Christian Pro-Lifers who murder abortion doctors.
For some reason I had these books on my mind this past week as I was with a mission group from West Texas. As I watched them work in the scalding heat and humidity in coastal Guatemala I could only think about one thing: THE reason 20 people, young and old, have come all this way and spent all this money to bring much-needed medications and health care to the poorest people in Central America is because they love God and desire to serve in the Way of Jesus. Watching them work simply made the argument that religion is "poisonous" seem suddenly really lacking. Even though I'm sure religious people (read: human beings) will continue to do really dumb and even evil things at times, believe me when I say that there are those in our world today that will continue to be the hands and feet of Christ. They won't be highlighted in best-selling books or even make the footnotes. They'll simply continue to try their best to be "religious" in the best sense of the word, the way God defined it, "Religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."
20 West Texans made me proud to be religious this week.
Peace,
Jay