nerdyrev's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly thought this was a different book and not a book of stories. After realizing it, I thought some stories were great and some were misses, so a good average score. I would recommend it to people because the good stories really hit home. Great insights. It is not a book though about being spiritual, but not religious.
birdy1luv's review against another edition
3.0
First essay is fantastic. Best thing I've read in a long time around the value of traditional religion. The writing throughout is great, but less satisfying in its depth than I had originally hoped.
karibaumann's review against another edition
3.0
From what I can tell, Lillian Daniel wrote an essay on Huffington Post about the perils of being "spiritual but not religious" and then was asked to write a book on the topic but didn't really have a book's worth of stuff to say so she just told stories instead. I liked the stories in this book but there didn't seem to be any structure to it. Also, a few (not many) of the stories were anecdotes I have heard from other speakers/preachers. I feel like that can work in a sermon but it doesn't work for me in a book. In the end, I didn't feel like she made a convincing case that being in a church is important (which I think is what she was trying to do).
naoms's review against another edition
2.0
Best bits:
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Chapter 11 - Things I Am Tired Of
I am tired of hearing people say stupid things in the name of Christianity. I am tired of nutty, pistol-packing pastors who want to burn the Koran. I am tired of televangelists who claim that natural disasters are the will of God. I am tired of Christians who respond to the pain of disease with a lecture about behavior. I am tired of preachers who promise prosperity. As grumpy as it sounds, I am even tired of Tim Tebow.
I am also tired of people who say that they are privately spiritual but not religious. I am tired of people who have one bad experience with a church and paint the whole of Christianity with that brush. I am tired of celebrities who criticize the church for being patriarchal and homophobic but do nothing to support the churches that are not. I am super tired of Anne Rice.
I am tired of people who say they want a church like mine but cannot be bothered to attend one. And I am tired of people who criticize churches like mine and go somewhere else.
So I resonate with the angry words from letters to the early church that criticize shallow believers with itchy ears. I feel like I live in a society where stupid and simple spirituality always trumps the depth of a complex faith. We are a people of itchy ears, who depart from sound doctrine in favor of easy answers.
Perhaps I am really just tired of myself. In criticizing others in their faith, I hardly live up to the best in my own faith. Perhaps the people who irritate me the most are exposing my own false doctrines. And this is why I can't do this religion thing all by myself. This is why I need a community.
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Chapter 19 - Please Stop Boring Me
On airplanes, I dread the conversation with the person who finds out I am a minister and wants to use the flight time to explain to me that he is "spiritual but not religious." Such a person will always share this as if it is some kind of daring insight, unique to him, bold in its rebellion against the religious status quo.
Next thing you know, he's telling me that he finds God in the sunsets. These people always find God in the sunsets. And in walks on the beach. Sometimes I think these people never leave the beach or the mountains, what with all the communing with God they do on hilltops, hiking trails, and... did I mention the beach as sunset yet?
Like people who go to church don't see God in the sunset! Like we are these monastic little hermits who never leave the church building. How lucky we are to have these geniuses inform us that God is in nature. As if we don't hear that in the psalms, the creation stories, and throughout our deep tradition.
Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or, heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.
Being privately spiritual but not religious has become the norm in American culture, and has even made its way into the culture of some of our churches. So while I can't stop these people from talking to me on the airplane, can I at least inform them that they are boring?
Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious sunset person. You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull bu find themselves uniquely fascinating. Can I switch seats now and sit next to someone who has been shaped by a mighty cloud of witnesses instead? Can I spend my time talking to someone brave enough to encounter God in a real human community" Because when this flight gets choppy, that's who I want by my side, holding my hand, saying a prayer, and simply putting up with me, just like we try to do in church.
------
These are two very cynical excerpts, but OH MY LANTA how they resonate with my caustic spirit.
-----
Chapter 11 - Things I Am Tired Of
I am tired of hearing people say stupid things in the name of Christianity. I am tired of nutty, pistol-packing pastors who want to burn the Koran. I am tired of televangelists who claim that natural disasters are the will of God. I am tired of Christians who respond to the pain of disease with a lecture about behavior. I am tired of preachers who promise prosperity. As grumpy as it sounds, I am even tired of Tim Tebow.
I am also tired of people who say that they are privately spiritual but not religious. I am tired of people who have one bad experience with a church and paint the whole of Christianity with that brush. I am tired of celebrities who criticize the church for being patriarchal and homophobic but do nothing to support the churches that are not. I am super tired of Anne Rice.
I am tired of people who say they want a church like mine but cannot be bothered to attend one. And I am tired of people who criticize churches like mine and go somewhere else.
So I resonate with the angry words from letters to the early church that criticize shallow believers with itchy ears. I feel like I live in a society where stupid and simple spirituality always trumps the depth of a complex faith. We are a people of itchy ears, who depart from sound doctrine in favor of easy answers.
Perhaps I am really just tired of myself. In criticizing others in their faith, I hardly live up to the best in my own faith. Perhaps the people who irritate me the most are exposing my own false doctrines. And this is why I can't do this religion thing all by myself. This is why I need a community.
-----
Chapter 19 - Please Stop Boring Me
On airplanes, I dread the conversation with the person who finds out I am a minister and wants to use the flight time to explain to me that he is "spiritual but not religious." Such a person will always share this as if it is some kind of daring insight, unique to him, bold in its rebellion against the religious status quo.
Next thing you know, he's telling me that he finds God in the sunsets. These people always find God in the sunsets. And in walks on the beach. Sometimes I think these people never leave the beach or the mountains, what with all the communing with God they do on hilltops, hiking trails, and... did I mention the beach as sunset yet?
Like people who go to church don't see God in the sunset! Like we are these monastic little hermits who never leave the church building. How lucky we are to have these geniuses inform us that God is in nature. As if we don't hear that in the psalms, the creation stories, and throughout our deep tradition.
Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or, heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.
Being privately spiritual but not religious has become the norm in American culture, and has even made its way into the culture of some of our churches. So while I can't stop these people from talking to me on the airplane, can I at least inform them that they are boring?
Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious sunset person. You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull bu find themselves uniquely fascinating. Can I switch seats now and sit next to someone who has been shaped by a mighty cloud of witnesses instead? Can I spend my time talking to someone brave enough to encounter God in a real human community" Because when this flight gets choppy, that's who I want by my side, holding my hand, saying a prayer, and simply putting up with me, just like we try to do in church.
------
These are two very cynical excerpts, but OH MY LANTA how they resonate with my caustic spirit.
akaletak0tt's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to believe, yet somehow comforting, to know that a minister can be this funny and REAL about life. I laughed out loud several times and also found my jaw-dropping in others. Fantastic voice from a very talented author, who happens to be a very religious and liberal thinker.
alliescott13's review
3.0
Not at all what I thought it was going to be; however, still a sweet, sometimes poignant, collection of stories about seeing God in various places and situations.
katebelt's review against another edition
4.0
After turning the last page, all I could do was sit there and repeat “Wow! “Wow! Wow!” Besides that, I resonate with what she says about those who state that they are privately spiritual but not religious. “There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff or, heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.” Describing an animal blessing service (which doesn’t interest me) she says ”The dogs wanted to sniff one another in a manner that was rather risqué for church, but given that it was their 1st worship experience, we decided to suspend the “no sniffing the other parishioners” rule that day. I want to read more by this UCC pastor.
tericarol21's review against another edition
3.0
I’m feeling generous with my 3 stars, honestly.....this book felt to me more like a blog, published in book form. There’s no structure to be found, and it doesn’t exactly explore the things it seems like it’s going to at the beginning. It’s more like a collection of reminiscences that might have found their way into a sermon at some point. Yes, there are definitely connections made between faith and life, finding God in a variety of places. But it is not a book about what the title says.
I also struggled with wondering who the target audience was for this book. Sometimes it seemed like it was made for pastors who are, like Daniel, tired of hearing random strangers explain why they’re no longer religious. Other times it seemed like it was the kind of memoir designed to reach SBNR people and try to draw them toward a faith community. And occasionally it felt like a reminder to stalwart church people that they are spiritual too. The difficulty is that the tone used for each of those is super off-putting to the others. So I felt almost like tone-whiplash.
there were poignant moments, some nice turns of phrase, and I highlighted a couple of things I think I can use. But this wasn’t eye-opening or thought-provoking for me. It didn’t offer deep insight or new clarity. Which maybe is because it’s been on my to-read list for 7 years and the world has moved on. Or maybe because it wasn’t meant to do that, it was just meant to be a snarky chicken soup for the soul. (Whose soul is still unclear!)
(Read as part of my 2020 project of reading the 20 books that have been on my want-to-read list the longest)
I also struggled with wondering who the target audience was for this book. Sometimes it seemed like it was made for pastors who are, like Daniel, tired of hearing random strangers explain why they’re no longer religious. Other times it seemed like it was the kind of memoir designed to reach SBNR people and try to draw them toward a faith community. And occasionally it felt like a reminder to stalwart church people that they are spiritual too. The difficulty is that the tone used for each of those is super off-putting to the others. So I felt almost like tone-whiplash.
there were poignant moments, some nice turns of phrase, and I highlighted a couple of things I think I can use. But this wasn’t eye-opening or thought-provoking for me. It didn’t offer deep insight or new clarity. Which maybe is because it’s been on my to-read list for 7 years and the world has moved on. Or maybe because it wasn’t meant to do that, it was just meant to be a snarky chicken soup for the soul. (Whose soul is still unclear!)
(Read as part of my 2020 project of reading the 20 books that have been on my want-to-read list the longest)
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