" I'm sorry to hear that religion has certitudes."

Steve, it goes beyond that. There is a kind of arrogance that says "my way or the highway" when it comes to espousing "faith". It runs counter to a religious conviction that says in effect that my religion is so strong that whatever you say makes no difference to me. That has a kind of integrity in itself, no matter how delusional I might think it is.

The other rants about Dawkins or anyone else who is a non-believer belies the sincerity of the ranter. They "protest too much" and avoid the issue by trashing the critical non-believer.

What is really wrong here is the total absence of civility when it comes to this discussion and the umbrage it takes by those with a religious agenda. Professor Dawkins has always had a discourse which was polite, attentive and sympathetic when interviewing religious types with which he disagrees.

Not so with many Christians.

This is one reason why this issue keeps coming up as a thread.