After I pointed out that the framers deliberately omitted any mention of God from the Constitution, a caller volunteered that she pitied me because I did not comprehend the truth of God's love and was destined, unless I saw the light, for the fiery pit.

What could I possibly have said in reply? "Thank you for your kind wishes?" The very word "conversation" implies an exchange between individuals who suspect that they might have something to learn from one another. But fundamentalists, whatever their specific faith, believe that everything worth knowing is contained in a holy book handed down by a particular deity to a particular prophet.

One of the many naive American beliefs--and, as a liberal, I must say that liberals are especially prone to this fantasy--is that all we need to do is talk to one another and our differences will somehow morph into "common ground." But blind faith is impervious to evidence and cannot be swayed by argument. Fruitful interreligious dialogue does exist but is possible only among those whose faith has been tempered by personal doubt and the social exigencies of secular democracy. Let us not waste our breath on those for whom the only possible common ground is the ground on which they blindly stand.