A religious soap opera is unfolding before the world’s eyes. Dr. Terry Jones, the noxious pastor from Gainesville, Florida who had planned the festive International Burn-A-Koran Day for September 11th has called off the book burning event, according to news sources like USA Today. Imam Muhammed Musri apparently offered Dr. Jones a deal if he would back down.

The uproar by Americans as a result of the proposed construction of an Islamic community center near Ground Zero along with Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, D.C. have pulled into focus the intense zeal that Americans have for religion. Undoubtedly, the characteristic of Americans that has been affirmed is the characteristic that Americans are dedicated to getting religion right.

An extremely unhinged Alaska schemer, anointed against witchcraft by a real witch hunter, has hundreds of thousands of twitter followers. The USA’s headlines are dominated by inane arguments about a religion-based community center in lower Manhattan. The son of Billy Graham jumps to reinforce hatred toward the president. Soldiers at our stateside military bases are disciplined for refusing to attend fundamentalist events on base. Where has our sanity gone?

A young Army Major’s Masters thesis is making the rounds. Some believe his essay presages the persecution of Christans by the anti-Christ Obama. Others see in his thinking a message that goes beyond the dangers of Christian millennialism and touches upon the perils our country encounters by endorsing or cursing any fundamentalism, without engaging the issues through clear thinking.

This weekend’s New York Times Magazine highlights yet another mob of extremists using the Texas School Board to baptize our children’s textbooks…