Conspicuous Devotion

Leslie and I were treated to a free night at Loews Coronado resort on Sunday. 

Very nice place, walked on the beach, visited my mother in law who lives near bye in the Coronado Cays.

As we were leaving the hotel, we saw this fellow walking around with this big cross. 

I insisted that we drive back and take his picture. And I got to thinking.


As an apostate, I don't understand what possesses people to walk around with their religious affiliation so heavily burdening their back and shoulder?  If this man meets a fellow pilgrim with an even larger cross, should it be taken as a sign of greater piety? Isn't the wheel in the back cheating, wouldn't the show of faith be even more striking if he was actually dragging the cross? 

Do true believers feel that it is fair to use simple machines (lever, screw, wheel, pulley, wedge and inclined plane) or does god frown on such modern contrivances? And not to sound unduly crass but what about the ten penny nails part?

So you see, this man's obsessive show of faith actually might cause a skeptical person to doubt his faith.

I certainly don't get it but I don't get most religion period. What is such a person trying to tell the world? I love Jesus more than anyone you have ever met, enough that I can never get into a taxicab or take this thing off my shoulder? Plaudits to him. The shiites have a similar ceremony in which they whip themselves bloody to show their love for Allah. I assume that this man lives his burden 24/7.

After I took the pic I saw that he was sort of accosted by someone who works for the hotel. We turned around and I rolled down my window and made a stupid statement and got a pained look back from both the cross man and my wife. I said, "Good thing it's not a star of David or you might roll down the street in a strong wind." Little sense of humor but as they say, it's not my cross to bear.