It’s true: I attended the Bibleman show at Grace Fellowship Church in Latham on Friday, and in my column in the Sunday Gazette I consider the question of whether such a show or indeed any religious indoctrination of small children is tantamont to child abuse.

Richard Dawkins, prominent biologist and militant atheist, declares that it is, and thinks it’s as bad as sex abuse, polluting innocent little minds with theological nonsense.

I’m not as earnest as Professor Dawkins, perhaps, as the show did not move me to call Child Protective Services, even though there were many children present, being induced to believe that quoting random passages from an ancient book was a good way to combat evil.

This was kind of science-fiction Christianity, starring an evangelical Batman tricked out in cape and mask and brandishing a “light saber,” to the accompaniment of blinking lights and a thumping bass beat.

Christianity as a video game, but with a live actor lip-synching his lines, as he whacked assorted villains.

The interesting thing to me was the number of people present – 900 at the first show, which I attended, and presumably as many at the second.

Child abuse may be going a bit far, but I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would have made of it. That’s just one mischievous thought I had.