The Mary and Martha Think-Off

The Great American Think-Off takes place annually in a small town in Minnesota. Some very important questions are raised in these philosophical chat-offs. A meeting in a small town in Judea has produced another question for us to ponder.

There's a new game in town. Contestants from as far away as Pakistan and Denmark, Argentina and Zimbabwe have convened in a sports arena in New York Mills, Minnesota.

They're not here to play Monopoly or arm wrestle or play chess or bridge. They're here to think. The Great American Think-Off was held last month in New York Mills, Minnesota - population 972 - in the heart of Otter Tail County. Four finalists were chosen from hundreds of contestants across the country, all vying for the right to be called "America's Greatest Thinker."

No highfallutin college professors need apply. No ivory tower dwellers allowed. This battle royale calls upon everyday folks - a turkey farmer from North Carolina, a baton twirling instructor from Oklahoma, a Little League coach from Missouri - to wrestle with the heavyweight questions of life, and, if possible, to come to a convincing conclusion.

Armchair philosophers each answer the same Big Question in 750 words or less, written in essay form and than...