How to recognize believers in your midst

(Continued from here.) Anyhow, with religion becoming so fashionably unpopular these days, many folks are wondering how to tell believers from normal, everyday people. To avoid accidental interaction, or whatever.

I've been thinking about that a lot, and I've come up with a list of features to look for--tell-tale signs that the person you're observing is... one of those. You know, believers. Someone with faith. Of which I am one, which means I know what I'm talking about, believer-standard-characteristics-to-look-for-wise.

Here's my list:

BELIEVERS, CHARACTERISTICS OF

Believers are bipedal primates, male or female , black or white (or neither), and native to America or some other country. We vote Democratic, Republican, other, or not at all.

We watch TV, listen to the radio, go to movies, rent videos and DVDs, own iPods, send and receive email, use pocket calculators, and talk on cell phones.

Those of us born in the United States call one or more of the fifty states our home, depending upon how many places we've lived and for how long.

Some of us are musical, some of us aren't. Some of us are multilingual, though most American believers, like most Americans, aren't. We speak and write one language well, if that many. Some of us are really into cameras, and others of us never caught the photography bug.

As a believer, I like to drink coffee (can't stand tea), and for breakfast I prefer eggs and juice (usually orange). I like cats and have a lot of sheet music.

So, there you have it--a short, handy guide to figuring out who among us is a believer and who isn't. (Oh, Who's an atheist? Never mind.) Ha-ha. Just thought I'd throw in that Abbott and Costello reference.

Next week: Church and State: Is Separation Good Enough, or Is a Divorce Called for?




Lee