Inappropriate Conversations

Banned Books Week is an annual event that draws much needed attention on the freedom to read or even really the freedom to think. We all should stand up when schools are pressured to prevent students from reading To Kill a Mockingbird, particularly in cases where "concerned parents" believe they are opposing racism and injustice by banning a book that would accomplish more by being read.  Are we trying to control what children learn instead of urging them and inspiring them to think?  Not only would I keep challenging and provocative material in the curriculum, I might be willing to go even further. Different Drummer: Karen Elizabeth Gordon

Continuing from last week, prayer may be the best example of establishing religion. From a Christian perspective, if your prayers "in no way establish a religion" then you are not praying. So, does a "pledge of allegiance" to God establish religion?  Never mind, Jesus explicitly warns against such public declarations in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. Different Drummer: Matthew

With a strong Biblical foundation, I have a theory that most prayers at public events like high school football games or graduation ceremonies have more to do with the speaker than God. If you only bow your head to follow a spoken prayer led by someone on a public address system, are you really genuinely praying? I believe prayer is much more than that. Different Drummer: Andy Partridge

If we are serious about free market capitalism, then we shouldn't be name-calling or establishing barriers to the free exchange of opinions and beliefs. This notion is consistent with America's founding fathers. It is consistent with the writings of the apostles who spread the word of Jesus without any help from a ruling majority in government. Are we "restoring America" to those perspectives? If you are watching rallies on TV and reading the news, you don't really know what "restoring honor" precisely involves. I wonder why. Different Drummer: Thomas Jefferson

Where were you on September 11, 2001, when planes hit the towers in New York City?  I was facing questions about whether God is in control of all things, and how to reconcile that with acts that scream to be called "un-Godly."  My answer involves as much metaphysics as theology. In each case, possible world theory has much to do with how I understand both Providence and prayer. Different Drummer: Richard Linklater

"Most Likely To" was both an employer reference, recommending someone I'd once supervised for admission to a university, and a short story with wild anecdotes from college days. Completely inappropriate, but hopefully a bit of fun. Happy Labor Day! Different Drummer: Larry Winget

Questions can be valuable even when we don't answer them fully or at all. In a change of pace, here are a few questions that I've mulled over in the past. Some people may find this uncomfortable. I believe facing these types of considerations will lead us to think, or at least to ponder.  Stay tuned through the end for the title track of Craig Bevan's CD, "I Think We've Made It." Different Drummer: Terry Gilliam