Errr, I think a big thing is the "at one time" is a pretty big part of your statement.
I'm not going to concern myself with the right or wrong of the action, but I do think the complainers are just getting their panties in a bunch.
I remember John Szafron having an interesting point, about how so many athiests that like to point out inconsistencies with religion and whatnot, and seem so educated about it, but have no real idea about the big-bang or many of the more secular ideas behind the creation of the Universe. I snickered and realized he was right! (Interesting tidbit, the Big Bang initially was frowned upon by the scientific community, because it reeked of divine intervention :D).
I am an athiest (well, maybe more of an agnostic), but for some reason religious references don't piss me off. Most of my extended family is quite religious, and I don't feel as though I'm somehow being sleighted when I'm present during the saying of grace (though I don't say the Lord's Prayer at the end of it, not that it would matter as I don't know the words anyways).
In fact, I remember reading up about a quote from Ernie Pyle, that was something along the lines of "There's no athiests in foxholes" to which I just snickered. I laughed because I could visualize someone praying to anything to get out of a crap situation alive. Although it's now been scrutinized by Atheist groups claiming that even faith can be undermined during war.
Well whoop-dee-do. I still like the comment, even if it's not particularly true, as being pinned down in a foxhole is a situation of immense stress and I'm sure any man pinned down in a foxhole would give anything to not be in that situation.
In short, I find atheists can be as big of whiny babies as the hardcore religious. And I think this is a good case.