It's book review day, and I haven't done a book review in some time. In truth, I haven't finished a book, but I am reading one. It's just taking me longer than normal to read it.
The book is The Faith Club, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner, and I have referenced it before. But I'm only halfway through. It's not the kind of book one reads overnight, despite it only being 293 pages. It's the kind of book, if read with an open mind, which stimulates thought, especially about oneself and what, and why, one believes what one does regarding God.
The book jumps from one woman's perspective to another constantly. At first I thought this would be distracting and annoying, and at first it was. But now, half way through, I appreciate the approach and recognize it as far better than a homogenized version. Each woman gets her own voice, and we frequently get different perspectives on the same event. I like this far better than a single narrative in which no woman's voice is heard.
Ranya Idliby is a Muslim woman, writing about Islam. Suzanne Oliver is a Christian woman, writing about Christianity. Priscilla Warner is a Jewish woman writing about Judaism.
Some of what Idliby writes I already knew, but very little. I thought I would know more about what Warner writes, but it turns out I know less than I thought. Oliver's writings reveal something which I have experienced myself: the tendency to become so comfortable with what one believes, one forgets the whys of it, while losing touch with people who do not share the faith. This creates an air of arrogancy which is completely offensive to others.
Apparently none of the three women were regular readers of the Holy Writings of their faiths. That changed very early on. What is more, they became more and more interested in what the other faiths' Holy Writings had to say as they progressed.
They fought. Heatedly at times. At times, each felt threatened. She would feel attacked and misunderstood. Admitting the shortcomings of her faith, and how many who share it bring it into disrepute, was a terrifying experience for each. After all, none wanted to undermine what they believed.
I'm only halfway through, but it seems each found her way through the fears and misunderstandings. I cannot speak for Idliby or Warner, but I can see where Oliver was learning she had misconceptions about some of the things she's been taught. Where she is at in the middle of the book it seems to me she has a few more things to unlearn. But that's the beauty of faith. If it's alive, it is always growing, which means changing. Not drastically. The oak tree is always an oak tree, and anyone familiar with oak trees will recognize it no matter what changes it endures. The same is true with faith. One oak tree doesn't look exactly like any other, so there is no cause for panic when variances are seen between trees. There are certain characteristics common to all oak trees, but after that each has its own beauty. This is also true of faith, be it Islam, Judaism, or Christianity.
I suppose it's not good form to recommend a book before one has finished it, but this is not a short story. It is a excerpt from the lives of three women of different backgrounds who learned that they are all oak trees. Their commonality is their faith in God and his love and forgiveness.
If you are interested in bringing people of varying faiths and cultures together, instead of separating them with fears, misunderstandings, and hatred, then I suggest you get a copy. I had to wait a couple of weeks to get it through my library. There was quite a waiting list.
I found it interesting was that, after writing my post on Faith in Forgiveness about how Christians worship a single God, but give him three names (and could give as many as one hundred), I read Ranya's passage in which she tells us Islamic tradition holds that "God is believed to be the bearer of ninety-nine qualities."
The more I learn of Islam and Judaism the more I am convinced all of the Holy Writings are telling us the same thing. But that would only make sense, wouldn't it? After all, we are worshipping the same God.
4 comments:
when you say it isn't something you read overnight - is that because it's more text book like? really deep?
It isn't text book like, but it does provoke deep thoughts - for me anyway.
When Ranya and Priscilla complain to Suzanne about apparent prejudices and stereotypes she appears to have, I find myself challenged at the same time. This is true even when there is no inherent prejudice on Suzanne's (my) part.
What is most interesting, is that each of the three women holds some stereotypes of the other two. It is fascinating to read how they confronted these things (so far successfully). But I am seeing a lot of myself in each of the three women. More so Suzanne, because we share the same faith.
But when Ranya or Priscilla get angry at Suzanne, I feel their anger as though it were directed at me, and I find myself having to resist the urge to become irrationally angry in return. As I said, it makes me think.
Sometimes I just set the book down for five minutes and reflect. I reread statements. It's a book about how to get along with other people who view the world through a different perspective.
Bevie, I have a lot to say about this book--I consider it life-changing in some ways--but it will have to wait for when I feel better. Basically, as you can probably tell from my blog posts, I am not a real conservative Muslim--I don't cover, I think women can lead prayer, etc. and so all of the times Ranya talks about things like that and still calls herself a Muslim, I felt affirmed. And since I always have doubt, I found the commonalities between the three faiths intensely reassuring.
Jennifer. Hey, you rest up and take care of yourself. This isn't going anywhere.
I very much want to talk about these things, and reading the book shows me I'm even more ignorant than I realized.
But it's more important that you get well.
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