jdadamo,
Your Quote:
(Lets assume (theoretically) that you do indeed tie together the neutral and ground at the cooktop, connecting them both to the EGC. Now just for fun, lets sever that EGC. Customer turns on stove and causes some kind of 120 v load. Neutral and ground have been bonded at connection point. Customer touches stove. What happens? They complete the circuit. Dead customer. Your license goes bye-bye.)
Why would that complete the circuit? It is already completed back at the panel. And unless the neutral gets disconnected at the panel from the cook top, electricity will of course takes the easier path, not through the customer.
