http://www.amazon.com/Science-Self-Realization-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892132868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257366423&sr=8-1

I think you are confusing idolatry with symbolism. The goal of having the Buddha temple is not worshiping Buddha, but showing respect to what Buddha stood for.
 The best way to show respect for Buddha (actually Buddha didn’t wanted you to show him any respect) is to not build his temple but to work on his philosophy. His original work got so much diluted over the years that people are actually forgetting what he stood for.
the beauty of Hinduism and is symbolism is that different people can take different things from it. While it is common knowledge that the Shivalinga is an ithyphallic symbol – its meaning has changed over the years. The fact that many modern Hindus would be shocked by the origin of the symbolism does tell us that the significance has changed over time.

 True. Each and every symbol has a really important meaning to the era in which it was established. It’s fascinating; I am too interested in them. None of the Hindus I know (family n friends) knew about the Shivalingham. And when I explain them the actual thing, they were shocked.
 So to the OP (original poster) take your time, learn and enjoy reading about Hinduism.
 Does anyone know any good lit on religions in india from 1300-1600 AD. I am just missing that important era in time..

–> This is true, though most Hindu theologists would say that marrying into a Hindu family is a common interpretation of meeting the requirements for converting. This started during the Hindu revivalist movement in the late 19th century.

2)Please take off the Buddha idol or statue from your collection. If you really understand and know his philosophy it would be unfair to him. Read more about it on kill Buddha project.

–> I think you are confusing idolatry with symbolism. The goal of having the Buddha temple is not worshiping Buddha, but showing respect to what Buddha stood for.

3)The books you mentioned were written before gods were introduced in there. Try reading about why Buddha and Mahavir came out from Hinduism and formed Buddhism and Jainism respectively.

–> I am not sure what this comment is referring to… Also, technically, Mahavir did not form Jainism – he popularized it.

4)For worshipping Idols, here’s food for thought: Majority of Hindus who are follower of Shiva’s they worship an idol called “shivlingam” literally it means “Shiva’s penis”. Actually it is Shiva’s penis and Parvati’s Vagina (his wife). I was very amazed by the idea that these people who started worshipping this idol understood the origin of life. It sounds very rudimentary and primitive, but intelligent. If you sit down and think about it the actual idol is nothing but a penis and vagina and that’s the true origin of life. This is well before language started and later it was labeled as shivlingam. Read more about the origin or shivlingam..

–> the beauty of Hinduism and is symbolism is that different people can take different things from it. While it is common knowledge that the Shivalinga is an ithyphallic symbol – its meaning has changed over the years. The fact that many modern Hindus would be shocked by the origin of the symbolism does tell us that the significance has changed over time.

2)Please take off the Buddha idol or statue from your collection. If you really understand and know his philosophy it would be unfair to him. Read more about it on kill Buddha project.

3)The books you mentioned were written before gods were introduced in there. Try reading about why Buddha and Mahavir came out from Hinduism and formed Buddhism and Jainism respectively.

4)For worshipping Idols, here’s food for thought: Majority of Hindus who are follower of Shiva’s they worship an idol called “shivlingam” literally it means “Shiva’s penis”. Actually it is Shiva’s penis and Parvati’s Vagina (his wife). I was very amazed by the idea that these people who started worshipping this idol understood the origin of life. It sounds very rudimentary and primitive, but intelligent. If you sit down and think about it the actual idol is nothing but a penis and vagina and that’s the true origin of life. This is well before language started and later it was labeled as shivlingam. Read more about the origin or shivlingam..

I also grew up in a UU church, though don't attend now. I would echo the sentiment that UU churches really can differ and my experience is that many of them have a large population of people who have a chip on their shoulder about religion. I am so glad to have grown up there and been exposed to religion and philosophy of all sorts. I actually have more interest in Hinduism than my wife as her parents followed Christianity as well as Hinduism (damn Missionaries!) and when they moved to rural Virginia, Christianity was the path of least resistance.

Well, now I actually have a Saraswati that sits alongside the Ganpattis in our apartment. What Hinduism has made me realise is that there are so many different aspects of “God” (which I consider to be energy and conciousness) and ways to reach “God”. The many gods of Hinduism provide focus for that. Need to remove obstacles? Pray to Ganpatti. Wealth and good fortune? Lakshmi. etc. Of course, Saraswati appeals to me a great deal because of the creativity and writing aspect. I do believe that the statue is a way of directing the thought (as a marker, like Amanda H mentioned in her comment). It makes “God” more identifiable and approachable. But ultimately, all the prayers and thoughts are going in the one direction/ will end up in the one place, whether I pray to Saraswati or Ganpatti. And as for Hinduism and all those “crazy tales”, well they're used to illustrate spiritual points too. It's necessary to look into the deeper meaning behind them.

Just like there are many roads you can take to reach one city, I believe there are many approaches to the one greater energy/conciousness (God). Christianity doesn't inspire me much at all, so it's definitely not the right road for me.