Religious Literacy by Prothero

I really enjoyed this book because it had a significant effect on my understanding of US history.

This book is divided into three sections.  The first part, "The Problem" gives data and anecdotes to support the author's claim that Americans have no clue about religion.  It had a bit of a "preaching to the choir" feel to it.

The second part, "The Past", was the most interesting for me.  It lays out a brief history of how religion and religious education has changed in the US over time.  I had no idea about a lot of it, and it explained a lot of things about American Christianity that confused me.

The third part, "The Proposal", gives the author's plan for reversing the effect of history along with a short dictionary of religious terms that one should be familiar with as an American citizen.  I found the dictionary interesting to read through (this coming from a girl who used to read the encyclopedia for fun as a child), and I liked how Prothero explained why the term was important to American politics/society.

All in all I'm glad I read it, though I could have done without most of it.  Anyway, I plan on checking out some of the references for more in-depth explanations.

Where God Was Born by Feiler

I love reading Bruce Feiler's books. I think what he writes about is really important for this world.

This book wasn't my favorite as far as writing goes. He does have a bad habit of claiming to have had impossibly cheesy and perfect conversations, but I find this forgivable. While I enjoyed reading this one the least of his three books I've read, I really wanted to hear what he had to say. I learned a lot about Iraq and Iran, and got a better understanding of biblical history. Also, his thoughts on dialogue between the religions touches me to the core. I wish I could make everyone I know read his thoughts on such matters.

This seems to be a general theme... I don't like the style that is currently considered good nonfiction writing, but I cannot help but read these books for the content.

Quotes I found worthy of noting:

"One recurring problem with religions the grew out of the Hebrew Bible is that each has a tendency to believe its faith is unique, its interpretation of the text absolute, and its relationship with God so exclusive that is has the right to harm those who disagree. The idea that the writers of the Bible were influenced by sources that predate their own suggests the Bible should be seen not as sui generis but as being in dialogue with other texts. And if scriptures can be in dialogue, surely the faiths that grow out of those scruptures can be in dialogue as well."

"The Bible is neither conservative, in that it recommends returning to a better time, nor is it optimistic that a better time lies ahead. The Bible is redemptive, in that it gives humans the ability to save themselves."

"God embraces any people who share his moral vision, no matter their identity."