"Something precious is lost if we rush headlong into the details of life without pausing for a moment to pay homage to the mystery of life and the gift of another day."

Kent Nerburn's encouragement to pay homage to the mystery of life brings to mind the importance of listening to your life. This isn't a call to narcissistic self-examination, but a challenge to pay attention in a broader sense.

Much that transpires is part of the natural order of things, i.e., cause and effect. However, if we assume that is all there is, and leave no room for mystery, we may well miss both the blessings and the testings stemming from that which can't immediately be, or may never be explainable via 1 + 2 = 3 linear thinking.

One of my deepest concerns about the state of religious conviction in today's world is its apparent lack of respect for mystery. For example, we know well how much we detest seeing images of people in other parts of the world (not only in Muslim countries) who yell out, "God [or Allah] is great!" Such outbursts often are associated with doing something that desecrates the American flag or that symbolizes the shouting mob's desire for some violent act.

There is no excuse for such behavior, but neither will we quell it by war or other demonstrations of U.S. power.

But what about the apparent lack of respect for mystery - or for the rights of other U.S. citizens - to embrace an image of God that is different than one's own?

North Idaho is a bumper-sticker kind of place. We are likely not alone in that respect, but such displays seem especially abundant here. Although I love so much about living in this beautiful part of God's world, I do not love our tendency to demean each other's convictions via such blatant messages.

When and how did many in our midst become so convinced that they know all that there is to know about God? They surely seem to be convinced of this if their public displays reveal to the world that they feel qualified to declare their intention to keep "their" God? I thought that we pledged to be a nation UNDER God.

Exactly what forms of religious instruction lead to such arrogance? When Moses asked to know God's name, the Divine One responded, "My name is I will be who I will be." Now that says a lot about God's intention to remain mysterious, doesn't it?

And, pray tell me, when and where did any of us discover a God who embraces guns and gold? Surely not through the teaching and modeling of Jesus of Nazareth - the one who re-emphasized that the messages of the Torah call for acceptance of those currently considered unacceptable, and to avoid putting one's faith in that which perishes (or that which we can't take with us upon exiting this life).

Believe me, there are at least a few vehicles even here in North Idaho which display messages pleading for us to co-exist across differences, but they are precious few by contrast to the ones that shrilly trumpet their certainty that they have true faith and understanding regarding the nature of God.

Furthermore, many if not most of these proclamations are not only statements about religion, or about the nature of God. They also betray sentiments that are racist.

A number of such messages flat out declare that there is no room in what, I presume, to be their "Christian" understanding of God, for a president with a different understanding of what it can also mean to be Christian. Where in their faith backgrounds, or current settings for worship, did they learn that it is okay to deny another's right to be a follower of Jesus Christ in a manner different than their own?

Where in their faith backgrounds did they learn that it was their right or privilege to decide another individual is of a faith other than the one he professes?

When did our Constitution change the right of an individual born of an American mother (who in turn was born in Kansas) to not only be a U.S citizen but to become the President of our great nation?

My plea is not for all who read or share this to believe "just as I do," for that would be boring and unfaithful. It is, however, for us to realize that the Biblical message - though containing much that seems to imply God prefers piety over justice, and purity over being a good neighbor - repeatedly includes a corrective and prophetic message that resoundingly declares God's love for justice, humility, and love.

Oh yes, I would also a remind you as I seek to consistently remind myself, that God's ways are not always our ways, and that God's thoughts are not necessarily like our thoughts. I interpret this to mean that if we want to love and honor God, we'd best be sufficiently humble to reserve some room for mystery.

Bill Peterson is a retired Presbyterian minister and Coeur d'Alene resident.