I’ve been struggling with writing a review of this book for a couple of weeks. Stephen Prothero is a religious studies professor. His thesis is that all religions are are different and that their differences matter. He refutes the bromide that all religions are separate paths to the same goal and therefore we should all just get along. Religions are distinctly different, beginning with the human problems they are trying to solve. For example Christians believe the problem is original sin, for Hindus the problem […]
Or, “My Personal Opinions on Death and Friendship”
I was raised as a conservative Christian. My boyfriend has been an atheist his entire life. There are other reasons that our childhoods seem totally alien to each other, mostly because he grew up having outdoor adventures in Alaska and I grew up watching movies in New Mexico. He is the person you want on your team for a zombie apocalypse. I am the person you want on your team for Trivial Pursuit. The religion difference is significant. I believed, up until only several years […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism
I always prefer to listen to an audiobook narrated by the author. I think there is an element of authenticity that is not present otherwise. Hitch is an excellent orator but this book was poorly read. The sound goes in and out and becomes difficult to hear at times. It was thoroughly distracting from the essays. God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything is a collection of essays written by one of the paragons of modern atheism, Christopher Hitchens. Hitch discusses his own childhood […]
A prayer for Owen is a prayer for us all
In a similar vein as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I was on the fence about John Irving, though swayed a bit more in his favor. The World According to Garp is one of my favorite books of all time, but I have tried to read Ciderhouse Rules three or four times and just couldn’t get in to it. I had heard amazing things bout “A Prayer for Owen Meany” and was pushed to tackle it after a friend a few states away said she was starting […]