Religious Experience

I was not raised in a religious household. We celebrated Christmas and Easter, but it was really all about the presents and the tree and the chocolate bunnies. God did not play a big role in the family. As an adult, I am a questioning Episcopalian who attends church services very sporadically (ok....almost never).

So it was with some interest that I approached three books that I recently read. Two of the books were memoirs by women of Christian religions that fall a bit outside the mainstream and the third was written by a well known author about a rabbi and a minister. All three deal with faith and its importance in some shape or form.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen is my first foray into the humorous, religious memoir genre. Janzen writes about her return to her Mennonite family after her husband leaves her for a man named Bob who he met on Gay.com and, adding insult to injury, she is injured in a car accident. This book is funny and at time, sweetly sad. Janzen captures the quirkiness of her family and the issues that arise when you return to a family that keeps traditions and follows rules that you left behind.

The second book is The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. This book chronicles Elna Baker's search for love and God and the truth in New York City. It also chronicles a family that is sometimes bizarre, Elna's enormous weight loss and lots of kissing. The author is a stand up comic and skilled storyteller . Her descriptions of her ill-fated attempts at dating and her post-weight loss family vacation will have you rolling. Her sincere believe in God and her religion are refreshing and somehow, innocent.

Finally, I had a sleepless night last night and I picked up the advance readers copy of the new Mitch Albom book, Have a Little Faith: A True Story. By 3am, I had finished the book and had tears running down my face. Mitch Albom's tender depiction of two "Men of God" and the meaning of faith and religion in both of their lives struck a chord with me. Rabbi Albert Lewis' tuneful and joyful approach to life is a lesson to everyone. And Pastor Henry Covington is an inspiration and a hope for many.

After reading these books I did not have an epiphany, nor did I hear the voice of God booming. But I though a lot about faith and family and what makes for a full happy life. I decided to remember the importance of being satisfied. I was reminded of how essential hope is. If books can inspire that, it is good enough for me.