Well, I think the debate is pointless in the way it's often carried out. But of course I've written dozens of articles on this debate, so I don't think it's entirely pointless. There is common ground in the existential examination of the human condition, so I emphasize that condition in my writings on religion and atheism. I just criticize both sides when they beg the question by presupposing loaded terms, and when they don't reckon with the existential common ground.

I'm not clear on the meaning of your pragmatic question.