I have a summer job that I thoroughly enjoy. I work as a grounds keeper at a local golf course. It doesn't pay very much, but it gets me out of the house doing honest work with lots of sun and fresh air. After a winter season of sitting at my computer and writing I need that. My main duty is riding a large tractor mower grooming fairways and rough. Next time you watch a golf tournament on TV and notice the neat mowing stripes on the fairways think of me.
As I bounce along with the drone of the diesel engine and mower reels in the background, I have ample time to contemplate. One's mind can go many places under these circumstances. Lately I've been giving myself permission to ask questions I did not use to ask. In no particular order here are a few of them.
* What is it about the religion of the "religious right" that causes them to become the angry bunch they have become since losing the last election?
* How is a self-serving, militaristic Americanism compatible with the ethics Jesus taught?
* Why is there no discernible difference between the amount of gossip and criticism of others one hears from churchgoers and those who do not make church a regular part of their routine?
* Why didn't I recognize earlier on how evil is the need to be in control?
* Why are so many pastors unhealthy (See the latest issue of Christianity Today for a clue)?
* Why have so many of us thought that what happens after we die is more important than living now?
* Who decided pews or being seated in rows was a good idea?
* What evidence is there that God endorses government issued marriage licenses?
* Why should clergy receiving a housing allowance not have to pay income tax on it?
* When did law enforcement (justice) become more important than love to many who claim to be followers of Jesus?
Keep running mower...
