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A review by lingualibri
Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner
3.0
While reading this book, I spent the majority of this this book thinking, "I can't tell whether I like this guy or not." On one hand, I too am an enthusiastic coffee drinker. I too enjoy reading, writing, and hanging around coffee shops (I prefer Caribou to Starbucks). However, Weiner writes much of his story in a somewhat cocky and self-centered tone. And why not? It's a story about himself, after all.
I think what I was hoping for was a more informative and less autobiographical description of various world religions. While I too have flirted with the divine, dabbling in several local churches before finding one I loved, my approach was geared toward simply being a culturally informed human being, rather than fulfilling a quest sparked by a bad bout of gas. Additionally, Weiner didn't just test out the most common denominations of any particular religion. He chose the far reaches of them, from the poverty of the Fransicans to the wackiness of the Raelians. Not to say that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, but I can't fathom jumping feet-first into a wildly different religion without first testing the waters. For example, I would want to visit a Catholic Mass to check it out before deciding to spend several weeks in a Franciscan homeless shelter. I can only assume that Weiner did his research beforehand; but if he did do any testing, he didn't mention so.
By the end of the book, I liked him a little more (despite finding out he looks nothing like I imagined). I think he got it right: "What do you believe?" isn't the relevant question. "What do you experience?" may be the more important inquiry. At least, that was something I discovered for myself when visiting different churches. Having been raised Catholic, I discovered that I am most comfortable in a liturgical-style church, rather than one with a Christian rock band blaring at 9am on a Sunday. Is there anything wrong with the early-morning rock band? No. It just doesn't work for me.
Ultimately, while I may be a bit put-off by Weiner's lack of detail when describing characteristics of the various religions, I can understand and appreciate his journey. Did I find this book entertaining? Sure. Am I craving more from this author? Not really.
I think what I was hoping for was a more informative and less autobiographical description of various world religions. While I too have flirted with the divine, dabbling in several local churches before finding one I loved, my approach was geared toward simply being a culturally informed human being, rather than fulfilling a quest sparked by a bad bout of gas. Additionally, Weiner didn't just test out the most common denominations of any particular religion. He chose the far reaches of them, from the poverty of the Fransicans to the wackiness of the Raelians. Not to say that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, but I can't fathom jumping feet-first into a wildly different religion without first testing the waters. For example, I would want to visit a Catholic Mass to check it out before deciding to spend several weeks in a Franciscan homeless shelter. I can only assume that Weiner did his research beforehand; but if he did do any testing, he didn't mention so.
By the end of the book, I liked him a little more (despite finding out he looks nothing like I imagined). I think he got it right: "What do you believe?" isn't the relevant question. "What do you experience?" may be the more important inquiry. At least, that was something I discovered for myself when visiting different churches. Having been raised Catholic, I discovered that I am most comfortable in a liturgical-style church, rather than one with a Christian rock band blaring at 9am on a Sunday. Is there anything wrong with the early-morning rock band? No. It just doesn't work for me.
Ultimately, while I may be a bit put-off by Weiner's lack of detail when describing characteristics of the various religions, I can understand and appreciate his journey. Did I find this book entertaining? Sure. Am I craving more from this author? Not really.