[RickyMaveety]

Well, interesting posts, everybody.

If I may pick a nit (and you know I just love to do that), technically a "religion" is a path to reunification with a deity. In order to have a religion, there must be an initial splitting away of man and his/her god. For Judaism, Christianity, and the Muslims this is the whole Garden of Eden myth.

Buddhism is not a "religion" but a philosophy. Since we don't have a god figure, it's rather hard to be upset by the inclusion of other beliefs as samples in a book reader. I realized that we (as a group) were not included in the post about being upset if a Bible were included as a sample read, and it's true. I know I wouldn't be. I have at least three Bibles in the house, a Koran, a Book of Mormen, any number of books on the Talmud (I'm a lawyer, it goes with the territory), and Hindu writings as well. I'm interested in that stuff ... it doesn't mean I believe it, or that if I read it I'm going to believe it. I have read it .... I don't believe it, but it does help me understand the people that do.

If anyone is so weak in their own belief system that the very thought of having a book expressing a contrary opinion, or even a sample of such a book, in their hands is upsetting .... well, that just sucks. I feel for those people, I really do. Must be awful to have your blood pressure go up every time someone questions the existence of your gods.

And, thanks for the post because it reminded me that there were several books by Dawkins that I've been meaning to read, and this is one of them.