@sleepy: it's weird to explain, but i've seen atheists motivated by something i call Faith (with the capital F), like it's a divine pulsion. i've seen it in some curates or other church officials, like they really do believe what they preach. someone who is profoundly devout, but not bigoted. i've seen a lot of the reverse (me included) who can't grasp that. a physical impossibility to manifest those feelings and that ardour. it's not tied to religion, either. kind of an unshakeable, unchangeable thing. like being left-handed, or having blue eyes. you can't do anything about it, you have it or you don't. it's pretty cool to see it in action, really stimulating, makes you feel giddy, almost. hell, i feel awesome for them, but i'm wowwed by things i can't do/ perceive.
I'm not sure what you mean with the "Faith" concept, but I really don't see religion in the same way. There are plenty of church officials like the ones you described, but there are also some who are bigoted, yet still strong in their conviction. There are some who go from what you described to shaky beliefs, to eventual atheism. Just like people can go from fundie Catholic to pagan, from agnostic to born-again Christian. It's a billion shades of gray, not a hard-coded "you either have it or you don't" concept.
fair enough, as i said, i have a lot of trouble explaining it. it all boils down if i can pin down what "Faith" is and convey what i think it is in an easy to understand definition. all the examples you described are found, of course, but i have to remark upon your bigot. sure, fred phelps might have faith (always hard to tell with calvinists), but i'm not sure the rest of the wbc has it. therein lies the difference, but i've yet to explain it adequately. i'll keep working on it.