Do religious beliefs actually have any significant bearing on moral decision making?

[pathos]

As people who clearly pride themselves as not being of a religious bent, what does it say that you unite around a common cause of belittling the person who didn't engage in the 'rite' of introducing himself and asking the correct group leaders for permission?

As the first guy who actually replied to your questionnaire....

How would you react if you were hanging around with a group of friends and some guy stepped in and started asking you all a few questions? No introduction, no nothing, just a "please, fill these out as best you can".

You probably wouldn't do that to other people in the face, why do you do it here? Just as in real life, it's impolite.
Regardless of our "religious bent", we are people and we don't like being treated impolitely.... remember the Jim Jeffries first... and only... commandment: Don't be a cunt!

I would say that this is an open forum and that people didn't need to click on my thread or engage in it.
I would offer another piece of common wisdom to such people and say "If you haven't got anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all."