That thoroughly fascinated me when I first read this (also, if you liked this, there's more like it in Salmon of Doubt). I've used it before in religion arguments, both in defending religion against people who think it could be easily disposed of, and in arguing why religion's affecting society isn't the same thing as proof of a god's existence.
Unrelated: why WERE there so many atheism posts today? There was definitely a surge, but why? New users? The Mormon issue?
This piece is something that I find I want to share with people a lot. He had a great way of thinking about things. And while this is simple really, it has had an effect on how I think about this issue. It's not often I can say that.
Unrelated: why WERE there so many atheism posts today? There was definitely a surge, but why? New users? The Mormon issue?