| The vast majority of people in the world
| |
| | "How do you know?"
|
| automatically and unquestioningly inherit
| |
| | "Because I like the way my Toyota looks
|
| their religion from their parents. For
| |
| | and drives, plus it was inexpensive and
|
| something as important as religion, why
| |
| | gets good gas mileage."
|
| are we so reluctant to shop around?
| |
| | I nodded toward my Toyota sitting in the
|
| One Saturday morning I was sipping my
| |
| | driveway and agreed. "How did you know
|
| coffee and reading the newspaper when the
| |
| | that about your car when you bought it?"
|
| doorbell rang. This was an unusual
| |
| | "I test drove different cars and talked
|
| occurrence as we lived in a somewhat
| |
| | to my friends about their cars." she
|
| isolated log cabin in the mountains
| |
| | said, increasingly exasperated.
|
| outside Denver. At the door stood two
| |
| | "So you checked out lots of different
|
| attractive college-age girls who wanted
| |
| | cars before deciding on your Toyota," I
|
| to talk to me about becoming a Jehovah's
| |
| | gently summarized, "but your religion,
|
| Witness.
| |
| | which is much more important, you
|
| Normally I would politely say, "No
| |
| | inherited from your parents without
|
| thanks" and return to my paper, but that
| |
| | knowing anything about the alternatives?"
|
| morning I decided to engage with them.
| |
| | "Yeah," she replied rather sheepishly,
|
| After hearing their initial pitch, I
| |
| | catching my drift.
|
| asked one of them, "Are your parents
| |
| | "I'll tell you what," I said. "Spend the
|
| Jehovah's Witnesses?"
| |
| | next five years investigating and
|
| "Our whole family is," she replied.
| |
| | studying the other great religions of the
|
| "Do you think religion is an important
| |
| | world and then if you still want to talk
|
| thing for people to have in their lives?"
| |
| | to me about becoming a Jehovah's Witness,
|
| "Very," she replied, and I agreed.
| |
| | we'll talk."
|
| "How many other religions have you
| |
| | The girls, realizing they had a hopeless
|
| studied and investigated?"
| |
| | case on their hands, thanked me for my
|
| "None."
| |
| | time and left.
|
| "Is a car an important thing in your
| |
| | The vast majority of people worldwide
|
| life?" I asked.
| |
| | inherit their religion-one of the most
|
| "Well, yes, but not as important as
| |
| | important things in their
|
| religion."
| |
| | lives-unquestioningly from their parents,
|
| Again I agreed. "What kind of car do you
| |
| | without ever investigating the
|
| drive?"
| |
| | alternatives. Religion is invaluable in
|
| "A Toyota."
| |
| | that it provides moral codes for
|
| "Is that what your parents drive?"
| |
| | societies to live by. Yet they can also
|
| "No."
| |
| | be devisive--many people are convince
|
| "Why not?" I inquired.
| |
| | their religion is the only way to God,
|
| "Because I like Toyotas better." She was
| |
| | believe that other religions are heresy,
|
| starting to get impatient but politely
| |
| | and some will fight and die for it. Did
|
| continued to humor me.
| |
| | you inherit your religion?
|
