"Listen," he says. "We have a really nice rapport. But we believe different things. And let's face it, because of that, you're never going to feel like family to me. So, what I'm saying is, this is as far as it goes."

And that, I believe, is the heart of the matter. This is where this group fails as a Christian endeavor. And it's why the majority of organized religions ultimately serve to separate us, rather than bring us together.

Of course, that also applies to class, race, gender, political movements, ethnicity - you name it. Any system, any classification, that the human mind can label, will have the same result.

So, in that sense, I don't see the members of Mars Hill Church as any more or less dangerous than any other group. And, as many other letter-writers have said, there doesn't appear to be anything that's really new about this group.

I will admit that, as a childless woman who doesn't belong to a church or believe in God (not a decision that I made lightly - it was years in the making), this article pushed a lot of buttons for me. I tried my best to stifle my reactive reflexes while reading.

I understand the need for this kind of feeling - of community, of being part of something larger than oneself. I've spent a lot of time on MySpace, and I've seen the profiles of hundreds of young people who want to make some kind of connection, who want to be seen as unique and special. I'm not a part of this generation (I'm in my 40's), but it seems to me that these young people have faced some pretty bleak formative years.

But, one has to wonder what their own children will feel, having been brought into the world for the sole purpose of replenishing the supply of Christians.

...to any of Monday's letter-writers that someone from the Yaskulka family would be reading the responses.

Of course, people are allowed to voice their opinions, but I doubt that many of those opinions would have been voiced if someone for the family had been standing in the same room with them. For better or worse, the internet is that room.

Mrs. Yaskulska, I lost my father to lung cancer in April of 2005 (he was diagnosed the month that your father passed away). I'm sorry for your loss. My family still grieves (and I say that at the risk of being accused of "wallowing").

I'm sure that your disapproval has cut us all to the quick. Thanks for taking valuable time out of your day to let us know that you are shaking your head.

Anyone who criticizes the way foie gras is produced has got to stop eating meat, poultry, eggs and dairy that are produced on factory farms. Period. To not do so is to be a hypocrite. Period.

I took a few cooking classes in Tuscay two years ago. The chef who taught the class was kind of bemused by the fact that I, along with one or two other people in the class, was vegetarian. Although he didn't say it in so many words, I got the feeling that he thought it was "anti-life" to choose not to enjoy all foods. Of course, I imagine that farming practices, including the raising of animals for food, are quite different in a place like Tuscany, where the people seem to have an almost spiritual relationship with food.

I don't know that some of the dire predictions posted here will come to pass. I doubt that banning foie gras will lead to a diet of "food pellets" in the future. Still, I don't think that making certain foods illegal is the best way to accomplish anything. Education and regulation can go a long way here, while still preserving the right to choose.

...that sum it up quite nicely.

BAN BAD PRACTICES, NOT FOODS.

A dose of common sense! Thank you, missioncreep.

Have you looked at a "red/blue" map lately? The entire mid-section of the country is "red" from our border with Canada to our border with Mexico. There are pockets of "blue" in the south, just as there are pockets of "red" on the east and west coasts.

I'm sick of people blaming the south for this mess. If it was only the south, we wouldn't have a Republican President and a Republican majority in Congress.

You northerners need to stop being so goddamned self-righteous.

Dick Cheney to American Public: "Go Fuck Yourselves"

Karrsic, of course leaders have to lead. Sometimes they have to do unpopular things. But, by any objective measure, this war is a disaster. Obviously, you know that. So, if this election is, as I believe, a referendum on the war, then our "leaders" need to acknowledge that, and answer for it, instead of "leading" us into hell.

I have no problem supporting a woman's right to choose abortion - even multiple times. You can't start drawing arbitrary lines. Who would get to make those decisions?

I also have no problem thinking that "Randi" is acting foolishly and irresponsibly, and that she needs to get her shit together.

I guess that's part of the price we pay for having our freedom. Other people get to judge us. But, let's not forget that judging someone isn't the same as taking away their freedom.

So, Randi, go right on ahead and keep having abortions. Don't expect me to think it's cool.

To quote the character of Frederick from "Hannah and Her Sisters", "If Jesus came back and saw what's going on in His name, He'd never stop throwing up."

Christmas in 21st century America is an abomination. We need to throw it all out and start from scratch.

Screw Christmas. And thanks, I have a life.

Read "Ota Benga: The Pygmy in the Zoo" by Phillips Verner Bradford and Harvey Blume.