I think I see, in my dim testostorone-southern-white-male way...
I am not by any stretch "orthodox" catholic, and I have very deep personal feelings about wicca and non-chrisitian religious ideas I don't dare share with any "orthodox" catholic. Apostasy pisses 'em off worse than non-belief, as implied in E's above post.
I have seen my mormon friends shunned by the fundies I know, and I live in a neighborhood heavily jewish, but with a very large Palestinian presence as well.
I can only imagine your tightrope you tiptoe as you deal with the public in a public capacity, however innocuous librarian may seem intuitively.
I think the freedom to fearlessly express ourselves is mopre important, and I think the freedom of speech in any public forum is more important than the so-called seperation of state from the church.
The way I read it, as long as the state does not require me to do something religious, the state is free to allow religious expression, as it allows any other.
In the end religious thought is expression.
I don't write this to belabor it or to wear you or E' down to "uncle" status at all.
I appreciate your perspectives on this and I beleive you have at least helped me to reconcile a rather large tangle of beliefs and questions I have been wrestling with.
Pax,
Ed