B738 driver: I agree with you all the way. Our major airline had no sop's about handflying. The only airlines that would need those SOP's would be for pilots that couldn't hand fly. Needing an autopilot to fly your aircraft is scary. It should be a workload reliever, not a substitute for a competent pilot.
90 % of my approaches were hand flown because the last 6 years I flew into TGU in Honduras and you had to hand fly. Letting automation fly your airplane because it is safer in VMC conditions means you are not up to the task and should sharpen your hand flying skills. SOP's for automation only airlines probably hire low time pilots out of Embry Riddle that know how to program a computer but can't hand fly well.
Thank God the older airlines still have pilots that can fly without computers. Most haven't hired since 911. I saw the last group get furloughed two weeks after 911 and they aren't back yet. Sad.