Thoughts on Bible study, politics, Facebook

I haven't posted in a week (I find it harder to write a post for this blog with my constant interruptions), but I am still reading my Bible(s) and thinking about God and going to church. I've been faithfully reading my Lenten Companion book every day.  I'm slowly starting to think about why one would believe in God, instead of just how one would participate in an organized religion. It's startling to me how different God is from what I imagined and what I thought I knew. Even as recently as a couple of months ago I could not have imagined going to church because you wanted to go to church. I actually had the distinct thought, that I could never imagine being upset about missing church. That it would be impossible to enjoy church.  Though I also think I'd enjoy it a lot more if I were there alone. (Note: Fill in "it" in that sentence with a multitude of activities- grocery shopping, the library, loading the dishwasher, etc.)

I am constantly stumbling across a pretty verse on Pinterest and pulling out a Bible to read the surrounding verses. It usually turns out that I like the verse much more as a stand alone verse, than taken in context. I struggle a bit with this, because it seems as though people who quote the verses maybe aren't reading them in context. Like the telephone game, does the verse become distorted over time? Does it matter?  Is it just as valid to quote out of context?  (I don't expect an answer to this, I just like to think about it. Feel free to offer your opinion but I'm not looking for it to be solved or anything.)

I'm also noticing a lot more religious intolerance in this political season. I'm not going to talk politics here. At all. I am not anywhere near entering that fight, and I suspect that I'd be even more conflicted and confused if I let it color my thoughts about God right now. I will say that the intolerance goes both ways, with both sides believing in absolutes with absolutely no room for  open discussion. Both sides are guilty of writing off the other side without considering the person behind the statement. It makes me sad and I tend to avoid Facebook more. I feel embarrassed to declare myself for either side of the fight, so I don't. This is partly because I am not sure exactly where I stand, but also because I don't want to be part of the ugliness.

I am still working on my spiritual reading list and I've asked my Favorite Catholic to bring me a handful of books when she visits in two weeks. I am not a book monogamist though, and my shelves are full of other interesting things as well. Most days I dip in and out of 2 or 3 different books, as the mood strikes.

Annnd, no good way to close this post up, but that's where I am today.

When in Doubt, Read.

As with anything else in my life, one way I'll be exploring faith is through reading. I've read quite a few faith based memoirs already, but would like to add more  potential titles to my list. I'm going to collect them all in one place, in case anyone else is looking for a Suggested Reading List for those seeking God. In no particular order:

• Because Nothing Looks Like God by Lawrence Kushner. This one is a children's book.
• Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller. Highly recommended by G.
• When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner. Recommended by <b>
• The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel. Recommended by G.
• Catholicism For Dummies I already own this one.
• What Catholics Really Believe--Setting the Record Straight: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions about the Catholic Faithby Karl Keating. I also own this one.
• Mere Christianityby C.S. Lewis. Recommended years ago by 3M. I own a copy of this as well.
• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Recommended by Dwija and Cari.
• The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin. Recommended by Cari."excellent, excellent, excellent. It was actually assigned to me as a penance once, and it was the best penance I ever got."
• Everyone's Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler. Recommended by Cari."Every time I read this, I am crushed. I marvel at how a 2000 year religion can still be relevant not only to life today in the abstract, but to MY life in particular."
• An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor. Recommended in this blog post. (The cover alone makes me want to read it, seriously, click through. So pretty.)
• The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus Borg. Same blog as above.
• Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Lifeby CS Lewis. Recommended by jen.
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Prayer. Also recommended by jen.
• Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicismby Scott Hahn. Recommended by Stitchwort and Ashley
• The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints by Ralph Martin. Recommended by Stitchwort.

The following books are books I happen to own. They have not been recommended to me as part of this experience, but they are about religion of some sort and are already on my bookshelves. In random order as I found them.

• Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish by Tom Shachtman
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong
• The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong
• Through the Narrow Gate, Revised: A Memoir of Spiritual Discovery by Karen Armstrong
• Breathe: Creating Space For God in a Hectic Life by Keri Wyatt Kent
• Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life by Irwin Kula
• The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
• The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
• Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl by Susan Campbell
• Dharma Punx by Noah Levine