The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Lit
This book is in a Controlled Release!
1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by rockyhorror1978 from not specified, not specified not specified on Sunday, March 8, 2009
"Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.
The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history''s most influential book with new eyes.
Jacobs''s quest transforms his life even more radically than the year spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica for The Know-It-All. His beard grows so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. He immerses himself in prayer, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and tells the absolute truth in all situations - much to his wife''s chagrin.
Throughout the book, Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally. He tours a Kentucky-based creationist museum and sings hymns with Pennsylvania Amish. He dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and does Scripture study with Jehovah''s Witnesses. He discovers ancient biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the twenty-first-century brain.Jacobs''s extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliff Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down."
The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history''s most influential book with new eyes.
Jacobs''s quest transforms his life even more radically than the year spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica for The Know-It-All. His beard grows so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. He immerses himself in prayer, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and tells the absolute truth in all situations - much to his wife''s chagrin.
Throughout the book, Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally. He tours a Kentucky-based creationist museum and sings hymns with Pennsylvania Amish. He dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and does Scripture study with Jehovah''s Witnesses. He discovers ancient biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the twenty-first-century brain.Jacobs''s extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliff Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down."
One of the best books I have read this year. I identify with the principles of humanism and as such do not believe a lot of what the bible prescribes. I picked this book up since I thought it would a humourous poke at religious fundamentalists and all other types of people that I put into the catagory of "religious nutcase." What I actually found was a wonderful exploration into the different interpretations of religion in North America. While A.J. is humourous in his writing style, he takes the material very seriously and is very respectful of the people he speaks to and their beliefs.
While I continue to hold firm to my humanist beliefs, I am glad that I was able to read this book and gain more insight into religion and different religious groups in North America. I agree with A.J. that it is impossible to follow all of the rules of the bible and that if anyone was to glean any wisdom or guidance from it, they should be focusing on the aspects that promote tolerance, charity, faith, and hope.
I recommend this book for both the religious and the secular folks. It is a book that anyone can read and enjoy!
See A.J. Jacobs talk about his year living biblically at TED:
http://www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html
While I continue to hold firm to my humanist beliefs, I am glad that I was able to read this book and gain more insight into religion and different religious groups in North America. I agree with A.J. that it is impossible to follow all of the rules of the bible and that if anyone was to glean any wisdom or guidance from it, they should be focusing on the aspects that promote tolerance, charity, faith, and hope.
I recommend this book for both the religious and the secular folks. It is a book that anyone can read and enjoy!
See A.J. Jacobs talk about his year living biblically at TED:
http://www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html
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Congratulations on finding this book and hope you enjoy it. I would be thrilled if you take the time to let me know what you thought of it by making a journal entry when you find this book and/or when you have finished reading it. Please feel free to explore bookcrossing and if you decide that you would like to join, tell them rockyhorror1978 sent you! :) It's a free and fun way to liberate your literature!
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Enjoy this book! "Make the whole world a library"
RELEASE NOTES: Being given to a coworker and will be passed around the office. If it is returned to me, it will be given to yoursecretninja and chevybuick to read before wild release.
"Anyway -- because we are readers, we don't have to wait for some communications executive to decide what we should think about next -- and how we should think about it. We can fill our heads with anything from aardvarks to zucchinis -- at any time of night or day."
— Kurt Vonnegut
Congratulations on finding this book and hope you enjoy it. I would be thrilled if you take the time to let me know what you thought of it by making a journal entry when you find this book and/or when you have finished reading it. Please feel free to explore bookcrossing and if you decide that you would like to join, tell them rockyhorror1978 sent you! :) It's a free and fun way to liberate your literature!
If you are going to share this book by passing it on or leaving it somewhere in the world to be found as a "wild release," let the world of bookcrossers know where and when by using it's unique BCID number and following the instructions!
Enjoy this book! "Make the whole world a library"
RELEASE NOTES: Being given to a coworker and will be passed around the office. If it is returned to me, it will be given to yoursecretninja and chevybuick to read before wild release.
"Anyway -- because we are readers, we don't have to wait for some communications executive to decide what we should think about next -- and how we should think about it. We can fill our heads with anything from aardvarks to zucchinis -- at any time of night or day."
— Kurt Vonnegut
