Thanks for the interesting thoughts and links. I've read two of Karen Armstrong's books and enjoyed them both.

I'm one of those atheists, and I appreciate your call for a more nuanced definition of what constitutes religion. I also know that you share my love for Carl Sagan, so I'll reference his lament that none of the major religions have actively embraced science. I would love to see what a religion looked like that embraces what we know about the scope and complexity of the universe. Unfortunately, most newly minted religions take the same world-rejecting view as the old ones. Perhaps this situation will change in the coming decades, especially as like-minded people find each other on the Internet. I doubt I will ever be in the market for a God belief, but if I were, I think I would be disappointed at the moldy old inventory on the shelves.