Lin Pardey recently took to a cruising forum to counter some of the misunderstanding going on regarding the whole engineless thing...
The thread is actually worth reading as Ms Pardey makes sense and reading a lot of the posts will give you some understanding about how elusive common sense is when discussion of engines, basic sailing skills, and peer pressure come into play.
Personally, the one thing about the whole engineless vs non-engineless issue that gets up my nose is the term "purist" because in all my years of sailing I've never come across a single person who chooses to not have an engine because of some concept of purity.
It is not a religion.
That said, it should be kept in mind that those without engines are also not heretics so you might want to stop and wonder why some people seem to be treating the act as heretical.
All the people I've known who don't have engines do so for a variety of reasons and usually have put some serious thought into it and, for the most part, are doing it for valid practical reasons.
The other thing that tends to come out in the discussion is the "idea" that folks without motors are judgmental about those who have engines which is simply not the case... I've yet to come across anyone without a motor who gave a tinkers damn one way or the other.
For another take on the subject it's well worth reading what Jay Fitzgerald has to say on the subject in his book "Wind and Tide: An Introduction to Cruising in Pure Sailing Craft".
