Reading A Great Book

[kateconover]

I'm reading Zealot, but Reza Islan, PhD in religious studies, and a terrific writer. The book casts a different light on Jesus Christ than I have ever read or heard. The book is not without controversy, but it is compelling, and I couldn't put it down.

I was brought up Catholic, but left the church in my 30s because of their rigid stance on women in the church, homosexuality, birth control and abortion. I met Bishop Spong through a friend who couldn't stop raving about him. My now ex-husband had done a few stories on Spong, and was anxious to see him again (odd to me since Tom is an atheist), so we went to Christ Church, in Ridgewood, NJ to hear him speak.

Well, for a Catholic to hear a priest calling Paul a "repressed homosexual," and Mary "the holy sexless one," was like being baptized by fire. I couldn't wait to get out of the church --- but I went back. And kept going for 10 years, along with the atheist.

Reza Islan's writing reminds me a great deal of Bishop Spong. Anyone who saw the Internet posting of him being vilified on Fox News could see what a threat his writing is to the closed minded.

I highly recommend Zealot, and hope you all enjoy it.

[PaulS]

I read this myself recently, Kate, and agree with you wholeheartedly. I find it so refreshing to read material like this - Jesus was a man, a human being of the lowest order like all of us - yet he had an amazing impact on those around him and later the world. To me this means any of us can have such an impact - we don't half to be Gods or even half God/half man to try and make a better world.

[NORM]

I recently read the book, too.

 

Actually, BECAUSE of the Fox News "report." I thought it was well written, and fairly well researched (as much as one can considering the utter lack of information about Jesus).

 

Reza's writing does resemble that of Spong.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

NORM