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A review by paperbacksandpines
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen
2.0
When I picked up this book, I thought it focus around the author's ability to triumph in the face of adversity, her Mennonite family, and faith. And while she did talk about overcoming her world turning upside down and her not blaming her ex for the failure of their marriage, it doesn't seem like she would have taken the other road offered in hindsight. Janzen really did seem to be the idiot she repeatedly referred to herself as.
My favorite parts of the book were when she discussed her family and her upbringing. Janzen has a way with words and certain parts of the book elicited chuckles, even if cringe-worthy at times.
The part book didn't really address her faith, though, as much as it addressed her lack of faith. She openly stated that she renounced the faith of her upbringing because it was anachronistic and because of "Christianity's narrow view of salvation." If any religion were all inclusive, it would deny the basic tenants of most faiths. I have yet to find a world religion that includes all beliefs and lifestyles and saves everyone. It seemed that she scorned the faith of her upbringing because she wanted to be allowed to do whatever she wanted, guilt free. And she took a perverse pride in doing things that she knew she would not have been allowed to do when she was younger or things that would have been frowned upon. This doesn't strike me as her having gained wisdom as much as having gained knowledge of the world, of which, it didn't seem to make her a better person for it.
Janzen stated that "there are many paths to virtue." I would go further to say that she believes that many paths lead to faith. I don't believe that all faiths are equal. She openly mocked Christianity when she spoke of the "Edenic myth," which her poor parents took literally but which her more enlightened view took as a metaphor for how "we inevitably fall short of our potential. And if we had been created, hadn't we also created God?". Janzen would probably credit her higher education and life experiences as enlightening her to "the truth." But I would call her beliefs new age hogwash. It's sad that she threw out the baby with the bathwater. She looked back on some of her upbringing fondly but couldn't seem to find a single part of her family's faith which she could agree with.
My biggest problem with this book, however, is that Janzen repeatedly pokes fun at Mennonites, Christianity, and religion in general, and, she implies that this belief stems from a lack of education and inexperience. There is no talking sense into anyone who holds such a belief. As a whole, I was wholly disappointed.
My favorite parts of the book were when she discussed her family and her upbringing. Janzen has a way with words and certain parts of the book elicited chuckles, even if cringe-worthy at times.
The part book didn't really address her faith, though, as much as it addressed her lack of faith. She openly stated that she renounced the faith of her upbringing because it was anachronistic and because of "Christianity's narrow view of salvation." If any religion were all inclusive, it would deny the basic tenants of most faiths. I have yet to find a world religion that includes all beliefs and lifestyles and saves everyone. It seemed that she scorned the faith of her upbringing because she wanted to be allowed to do whatever she wanted, guilt free. And she took a perverse pride in doing things that she knew she would not have been allowed to do when she was younger or things that would have been frowned upon. This doesn't strike me as her having gained wisdom as much as having gained knowledge of the world, of which, it didn't seem to make her a better person for it.
Janzen stated that "there are many paths to virtue." I would go further to say that she believes that many paths lead to faith. I don't believe that all faiths are equal. She openly mocked Christianity when she spoke of the "Edenic myth," which her poor parents took literally but which her more enlightened view took as a metaphor for how "we inevitably fall short of our potential. And if we had been created, hadn't we also created God?". Janzen would probably credit her higher education and life experiences as enlightening her to "the truth." But I would call her beliefs new age hogwash. It's sad that she threw out the baby with the bathwater. She looked back on some of her upbringing fondly but couldn't seem to find a single part of her family's faith which she could agree with.
My biggest problem with this book, however, is that Janzen repeatedly pokes fun at Mennonites, Christianity, and religion in general, and, she implies that this belief stems from a lack of education and inexperience. There is no talking sense into anyone who holds such a belief. As a whole, I was wholly disappointed.