a) Will the twenty-first century be an age of religious revival? I certainly hope not, since religious revivals almost invariably signal an increase in mass stupidity, violence, and the oppression of those unwilling to pray in the end-zone to whatever deity has been revived. For examples supporting this thesis, cf. the twentieth century.

b) If so, what form will this revival take? If there absolutely must be a religious revival in the twenty-first century, I'd prefer to have the Greek gods of ca. 500 B.C. revived. Apollo, Hermes, Athena, et al. seem to me sexier, smarter, funnier, and more artistic than any gods that have been subsequently revived.

c) Will this revival be a good thing or not? I doubt it. Cf. a) above.

Stan Persky teaches philosophy at Capilano College in N. Vancouver, B.C., and is a books columnist for the Vancouver Sun. His most recent book is Autobiography of a Tattoo.