Most important to a cowboy’s religion was that he “got” it, and “had” it.
Probably few, if any, versions of a cowpoke’s religion ever got into any books of theology.
But one old Plains cowboy’s description of what religion is, did get into print.
This is it, as it appeared in The Crosby County News, Jan 28, 1904, titled “A Cowboy’s Religion”:
“A converted cowboy once gave this very sensible idea of what religion is: “Lots of folks that would really like to do right, think that serving the Lord means shoutin’ themselves hoarse praisin’ his name.”
“Now I tell you how I look at that I’m working here for Jim. If I sit around the house here tellin’ what a good fellow Jim is, and singin’ to him and getting’ up in the middle of the night to serenade him, I’d be doin’ just like what lots of Christians do, but I wouldn’t suit Him, and I’d get fired mighty quick.”
“But when I buckle on my straps and hustle among the hills and see that Jim’s herd is all right, and not sufferin’ for water and feed, or bein’ off the range and branded by cattle thieves, then I’m servin’ Him as he wants to be served.”
Mrs. Bobbie Beavers, publisher of the Lorenzo Leader, has the crumbling newspaper, Vol. XVI, No. 4, in which this piece appeared. It was dated “Thursday, Jan 28th, 1904.” Ed A. Kelly was listed as publisher.
Copied from “Cow Country” By Tanner Laine
Pioneer Book Publishers, Published 1969 Hereford Texas