[NJ_gent]

"A social conservative believes that personal responsibility is second only to fealty to God in importance as a personality trait."

This would lead me to believe that you'd exclude an atheist or agnostic who believes in political and fiscal conservatism, and in person responsibility, from your category of "true conservatives". Is this the case?

[NCSteve]

If an agnostic or atheist believed that personal responsibility was second only to fealty to God, I can't see how this would exclude them. But that's not very likely, is it?

[NutCrackerBoy]

A social conservative believes that personal responsibility is second only to fealty to God in importance as a personality trait. -NCSteve

This would lead me to believe that you'd exclude an atheist or agnostic who believes in political and fiscal conservatism, and in person responsibility, from your category of "true conservatives". Is this the case?

My answer would be no. The definition is apt, but atheists and agnostics are not necessarily excluded. NCSteve may feel differently, of course.

It is possible to be an atheist or agnostic and have a religious orientation and strongly support religious institutions.