Celtic Soul: Yes, of course the banning of a demonstration of book-burning would be censorship. I didn't say that I thought the government should ban book burning. I said that we (those of us who feel that the desire for censorship that book-burning represents is wrong) should denounce it. In other words, let's not let anyone assume by our silence that we agree with the fundies. We are as free to demonstrate against book-burning and banning of books from libraries as the fundies are to demonstrate against Harry Potter. So write letters or e-mails to newspapers, call your local or state representatives, hold a demonstration of your own – whatever you feel is appropriate – but don't sit idly by and assume that the fundies will eventually give up and shut up, because they won't.

By the same token, I did not say that I wanted the government to legislate parenting beyond the standards you suggest (s.a. beating one's child) (may I add denying necessary medical care). Yes, of course its doing so would be a violation of the precept of separation of church and state. All I'm saying is that, by speaking out, we present to the children of fundies the fact that outside their homes not everyone thinks the way their parents do (the way their parents and their church are teaching them to think). Inside their homes and their church, our way of thinking will be systematically condemned, and these kids will be "sheltered" from it as much as possible. But if they are ever to make a decision to follow one or another denomination of one or another religion (or none at all), they need to be aware that there have a choice and that there are people who willaccept them if they don't choose the fundie way of life.