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812 reviews for:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
A.J. Jacobs
3.76 AVERAGE
812 reviews for:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
A.J. Jacobs
3.76 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I really enjoy AJ Jacobs - his books are easy to consume (probably because of his background as a journalist) but really informative and funny at the same time. This one in particular was great because it helped me to laugh about some of the crazier parts of a religious text without seeming disrespectful or flippant.
I really enjoyed this book. While it still contains his quirky humor as found in his first book, [b:The Know-It-All|28116|The Know-It-All One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World|A.J. Jacobs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1286161515s/28116.jpg|197064], I thought this one was compassionate and open-minded. For a man who's background is Jewish, that he even attempted to delve into Christianity (the New Testament), I thought was bold. And for a self-proclaimed agnostic, he approached each religious approach with an open mindedness that is not normally seen in the secular world. You don't have to be religious in order to enjoy this book.
Things I learned from A.J. Jacobs choosing to live Biblically:
1. Give wine to depressed people.
2. There are extremists everywhere.
3. The Bible is all about interpretation. No one agrees on anything when it comes to the Bible.
4. Samaritans are real and have a similar belief system to Judaism.
5. Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Bible...he edited away all the supernatural stuff and just kept Christ's moral teachings.
6. There are more versions of the Bible than would ever fit on my bookshelves.
7. The Bible is anti-winking...people that wink are apparently planning perversities...and winking is kind of creepy.
Groups I want to learn more about:
1. Answers in Genesis
2. Red-letter Christians
3. Evangelicals Concerned
1. Give wine to depressed people.
2. There are extremists everywhere.
3. The Bible is all about interpretation. No one agrees on anything when it comes to the Bible.
4. Samaritans are real and have a similar belief system to Judaism.
5. Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Bible...he edited away all the supernatural stuff and just kept Christ's moral teachings.
6. There are more versions of the Bible than would ever fit on my bookshelves.
7. The Bible is anti-winking...people that wink are apparently planning perversities...and winking is kind of creepy.
Groups I want to learn more about:
1. Answers in Genesis
2. Red-letter Christians
3. Evangelicals Concerned
Very funny view of the strange requirements of the old testament. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
AJ Jacobs (and his alter ego Jacob) spends a very funny year living the bible, tracking down religious customs, laws, clothing, food, and facial hair. What starts for the author of "The Know-It-All" as a journey to learn and live biblical traditions becomes an insight into peace, prayer, and kosher clothing. Jacobs, a confirmed agnostic Jew, records his humorous trek through the Old and New Testaments, with side trips involving snake handling, creationism, and building a hut in a NY apartment. Bonus points to Jacobs' wife for putting up with this year while pregnant with twins. Good clean fun for anyone who'd enjoy a humorous read with a bit of history, hope, and prayer thrown in.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting to know some of the minutiae and bigger ideas in the Bible from a new perspective. The author is by turns reverent and irreverent and honestly shares his surprise and failings as he tries to obey all the Bible's many, many commandments over a full year. Funny and often sweet.
This book was fun and interesting. It was interesting to read about some of the more strange rules of the Bible, and even more interesting to hear what happened to the author when he tried to follow them!