REVIEW: "A year, lived on biblical," AJ Jacobs

After the "know-all» (The Know-It-All, attempts to become the most intelligent) and "Before the death of healthy»(Drop Dead Healthy, trying to become the healthiest) AJ Jacobs, A great joker and adventurer, decided on a new experiment. According to him, the most important in life.

He lived 380 days, following the rules of the Bible, which turned out to be more than 700. Below you will read my impressions of this experiment and wrote in his explanation of the book.

My religion - tolerance

First, a few words about my religious beliefs. If you are not interested, move on to the next item. But I think The following sentence will help you understand my impressions of the book.

So, I believe that faith and religion - two different things. The first - a core beliefs, spiritual foundations of man.

What you believe, and so live.

Man has the right to believe in God, evolution itself, the energy of the universe, a chair leg. Anything. As long as it helped him create.

As for religion... By birth I'm Orthodox. But I do not wear a cross.
Instead of it around my neck with a medallion of St. Anastasia. Why? Because it gave me a mother.

My mother and all his relatives brought up in the Orthodox tradition. They do not go to church on Sundays, do not observe the fasts, but in every house there are icons from time to time prayers, and the 10 commandments - the basis of their value system.

I believe that I have no right to tell her mother or someone from the family, grew up in the Orthodox Church, "Um, you know, I'm not going to paint eggs and let's put out the lamp, because I have a different view on this matter."

Just as no one has the right to impose their religious views.

Relations in a society in need of unification, and for this there are two regulators - standard (law) and non-normative (social rules of conduct, including religious ones). I clearly distinguish between these areas, so the artificial introduction into the legal sphere of moral and ethical standards makes me a cooling horror.

Yes, you understood correctly, I'm on so-called law on the Protection of feelings of believers, rather, appropriate amendments to the Criminal Code.

For me, theism and atheism - the two pillars on which the world rests. And I do not like when they start beating each other's tails. I do not like it when atheists stebutsya over religious people still just like I do not like when the latter despised the former. My religion - tolerance.

What I did not like the book

Literalism

I do not take the Bible as "holy writ." For me it is - a historical and cultural literary work. Unsystematic collection of social, moral and domestic standards, accumulated over the centuries. Moreover, as noted by the author himself, the Bible is like a "Wikipedia" - it was ruled by all and sundry.

Literalism that followed AJ Jacobs, irritated me. He served one purpose - to satire, and has nothing to do with the statement of the author:

... this project will be my ticket to the world of spirituality. I will not just study religion and to live it.

References to Western culture

If you say that a lot of them, so silent. Almost every page allusions of western pop culture. Across the page - the comparison with American actors, writers, and religious leaders. This is based on a considerable part of humor, and it makes it difficult to form images.

Compare, when he wrote: "On the face of it - Chekhov of the XXI century, but without his glasses", just imagine an intelligent man, 40 years old, smart, in a neat suit, but without glasses. And if you read: "He looks a bit like Jackie Mason," a flight of fantasy breaks. Sorry, I do not remember what it looks like Jackie Mason.

Of course, everywhere there are explanatory footnotes. But the feeling that this book is not for us, not for the English-speaking reader, does not leave.

(The lack of experimental studies of Orthodoxy as part of Christianity, has strengthened this feeling.)

What I liked about the book

Tongue

Lightweight, slim and witty. For those who, like me, work with texts, this book - just a godsend. If you're a notebook with interesting turns of phrase and metaphors, is in the process of reading, fill it a couple dozen "copies".

(I think that's great merit as a translator, therefore, a sign of respect, will show its name - Tair Mamedov.)

Humor

Although I did not like that the book is based on ridiculing the Bible from the perspective of literalism, must pay tribute to the author's sense of humor.

He describes the people and events is very ironic, but not absolutely evil. In addition, he is able to laugh at yourself. Holy "sweet", as he succeeds? :)

cognition

Reading the book, you learn a lot about the religion and its manifestations. Some denominations, I did not even know. I can not say that creationists or zmeederzhtsy caused such a strong interest in me to Googling further, but it is very informative. The book broadens the mind.

The story and personal background

AJ Jacobs has lived year-biblical. Keyword - I lived. He worked in that year he and his wife gave birth to twins. The author describes his personal life, forming, thus, another storyline.

In my opinion, a great literary device, forcing empathize with the hero more.

Philosophy

Despite the fact that, in my opinion, the book is entertaining rather than philosophical character, from time to time in its pages raised some serious issues.

False (to themselves and others), thanks to the example for their children, fanaticism (including religious), stem cells... All these are serious ethical problems. There is something to think about.

Finally, I liked the main conclusion EYA Jay. In my opinion, his "cafeteria religion" well shows the position of the Bible in modern society.

"A year, lived on biblical," AJ Jacobs

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