I guess that is where the major disconnect is. Because that is not obvious to me at all. Maybe that is something that more atheists/agnostics have problems with and that is at the root of the problem? The inability to empathize on religious feelings. Simply not being capable of putting oneself in the shoes of a religious person.
Allow me to tell a little anecdote

. This story reminds me of a small 'family crisis' we had over Christmas

. In the last few years my sister has turned into something of a devout Christian, while everyone in the family is quite fiercely atheist. Nevertheless we always participate in some of the idolatry and rituals that surround Christmas, so we have a nice Christmas tree and a miniature 'nativity scene' (not sure what it is called in English

, I mean something like
this).
When my brother got home he apparently felt a bit rebellious and decided to show it by turning baby Jesus upside down in his crib

oh:. He thought it was an innocent jest to show his disapproval of all the religious overtones in the house. But my sister completely freaked out. She was totally upset and after a whole bunch of screaming how the devil had taken over the house she simply left the house to cool off. We weren't even sure if she was even coming back. Eventually she did turn up and apparently had told herself that God taught her to be forgiving, and that is what she did. In the end everything turned out fine and the mood around Christmas table was fine.
Anyway, it just shows how sometimes people that don't believe simply fail to comprehend how important some things are to religious people, even if it is just symbolism. My brother did not have intention to upset or hurt my sister, he would never do that, we all know that, it's just not in his character. For him it was not a serious act. He was unable to foresee this escalation and he felt incredibly bad after my sister had stormed out. Not to say this 'incident' is comparable with the one discussed in this thread, I simply don't know the details, but it might well be. Remember that many non-religious people are essentially handicapped when dealing with religion. They simply fail to comprehend it, it just confuses them.