Noah was a righteous agnostic? Who knew? Christian readers will be fascinated to learn about two agnostics in Genesis, one righteous, the other not. For Christians, Riskin's argument also evokes the unease deliberately provoked by the New Testament epistle of James and its emphatic assertion that "faith without works is dead."

"As an Orthodox Jew, perhaps in the entire parade, I walked proudly with Annette and her delegation. I am still inspired by her faith. She will always be a part of me."