> I enjoy what transpires on this list.
> It has attracted a group of people who excell in philosophical thought and
> seem well suited to each other.  I am still wondering if this "church" thing
> is some kind of joke, or something?!?
I took my parents out to dinner last night.  In the course of conversation
I started talking about Church of Virus.  My father is a deacon in an
Evangelical church so I was treading lightly into these waters for the
first time.  I explained memetics and the origin of CoV (as described by
David McF) and tossed off,
     "But it's really just a place where a bunch of people with similar
interests can get together and talk about them."
     "Well, isn't that what every church is?" he prodded.
     "Well, yes I guess so."
     "That and a support network.  The /good/ ones are also there to help
and support their members when they're in need." Deacon Rhodes added. 
Maybe we can learn a thing or two from the established churches after all.
-Prof. Tim