Other "Thinking Drafts" and writing by Keith Drury -- http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday .

Religious Postum

Experimenting in a horse barn with mixtures of molasses, bran and wheat 101 years ago, Charles William Post invented a coffee substitute, which he humbly named after himself: 'Postum.' Americans had 'Coffee-free Coffee.' It tasted like the real thing, but with none of the caffeine risks. Sales zoomed, sparking Post to introduce a second brand of coffee substitute, which promptly flopped, so Post simply reintroduced the same stuff, this time as a cereal - Grape Nuts, (which is neither, of course). What Post discovered with Postum was the American penchant for substitutes.

For the next 62 years many Postum drinkers sweetened their coffee-free-coffee with good old fashioned sugar. That is, until Chevy made its best car (1957) and Americans welcomed a friendly little pink packet which called itself 'Sweet 'n Low.' We now had sugar-free-sugar. How about cream? You take cream? Well, perhaps you did until 1963, when we got cream-free-cream in the form of the new 'Cremora.' Postum drinkers could now have their coffee-free-coffee with cream-free-cream and sugar-free-sugar.

In the summer of 1969, as American youth thronged to Woodstock NY, American business introduced a neat little jar which would delight salad lovers everywhere: bacon-free-bacon - 'Bac-O's.' And, 15 years ago the 1980's brought even better news to sweetness-lovers, with the introduction of a new sugar-free-sugar which was actually sweeter than sugar - 'NutraSweet.' How's that! A substitute better than the real thing, and with none of the risks -- tastes sweeter, but you don't get fat and lose all your teeth by 50.

Last year while we were being hyped about the new Windows '95, the more important and lasting news was the quiet approval and introduction of 'Olestra' -- Americans have arrived: we now have fat-free-fat!

It appears that Americans like substitutes. Old fashioned stuff like coffee, sugar, bacon-from-a-pig, cooking oil or lard are considered out of style and unhealthy. Many Americans actually prefer the substitute to the real thing, especially if there is anything disagreeable or risky in the real thing.

The question is, does this proclivity extend to our religion?
 

So what do you think?

To contribute to the thinking on this issue e-mail your response to Tuesday@indwes.edu