I don’t know about any of you, but writing about religion or books concerning religion always makes me feel a bit hesitant and nervous. The main reason being that I don’t want to hurt anybody, nor do I want to get into endless debates on what religion is & isn’t and what it is or isn’t supposed to do. I’m always scared that people will take my views on religion (and the related topics of culture and politics) the wrong way.
I tend to embed religion in its context, because I believe the time, place and other interactions in the milieu religious people live in (culture, politics, etc) influence religious attitudes. Fundamentalist (by which I do not mean terrorist, but people who take scriptures literally) always make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Maybe that’s because I was raised by parents who were both brought up in a strict catholic family and ‘escaped’ these surroundings during the 60/70′s, they subsequently raised me with an atheist/agnostic outlook on life. Or maybe it has to do with my education: both my religious classes in high school and my university classes have focused on a post-modern and/or anthropologist approach. This might lead to views that could be offensive to some people who are highly religious and I’m just never sure how to deal with that. I get that to some people I might be touching their most important convictions and I wouldn’t like to be told that “it’s all relative” either. Actually, I have a deep respect for people who are religious and are able to feel thus supported by their beliefs. Also, I know that not all religious people are offended by contextual thinking and many share views on religion being defined by historical and cultural context.
It’s just.. You see how many things you might need to say to make sure you’re not offending anyone? To explain what your perspective is and why? This is what scares me about writing about religion. I think it might be an even more “controversial” subject than politics. A group of freemasons gathers in a building across the street from my parents, and they once told my father that there are two subjects they never discuss, religion and politics, because it can only lead to arguments and hurt. It is sentence that I’ve memorised well and it pops into my head every time I am about to publish something about a book on religion.
Yet, books about religion seem to gather a lot of attention (only look at the debates surrounding Philip Pullman’s new book) so I’m guessing there’s a world of people out there who does like to read and write about (and discuss?) religion. Some recent talks with Nymeth and Violet on twitter led to Violet’s interesting point that even (or dare I say, exactly those) self-proclaimed atheist enjoy reading about religion. Somehow, this cannot but cheer me. I’ve a bachelor in history and an (almost) bachelor in religious studies and yes, us students hear a lot about how religion is not dead, but there isn’t a lot of interaction about it outside of the classroom. Book blogging had made me realise that there are a lot of people who might not consider themselves religious, but still like to read and learn about the subject. And I have to admit that I really enjoy reading everyone’s reviews and thoughts on books about religion.
Still, that little sentence that any discussion on religion or politics might inevitably lead to arguments and hurt seems to be stuck in my mind forever. This does not mean that I will not write about it, it’s an inevitable subject to me anyway, since I’m currently doing a master on religious studies from a historical perspective.
Not so much as an afterthought, but as something I’ve been thinking about ever since I started blogging, I am joining the World Religion Challenge hosted by BiblioFreak . I´m taking the Unshepherded Path (Also Known As: The Don’t Tell Me What to Do Path), which means you get to “read as many books as you would like about whatever religions you want.”. Why this path, as it might seem the easier? Well, I’ve just explained that I’m doing a 2-year master programme at a religious studies faculty (master is the equivalent of graduate school, I’ve been told) which means all the required reading I do is on religion. I’d like to keep the challenge-reading fun for myself and thus decided not to make myself read a book on every religion, but just read books on religion that look good to me at that time. I’d like to read at least 5 though, so that’s a goal I’m adding.
First – Hooray! I’m glad you are joining
Second – Ditto! All those concerns you raise are questions I have as well. I have a feeling my reading for the challenge will be mostly non-fiction, and I am concerned about starting any controversy. Here is hoping it all goes well!
I never really thought about reading fiction on religion. It might be an interesting way to go, since most of the time I read non-fiction on the subject..
I am very hesitant to write about religion. I think it is a shame that we can’t talk openly about these things, but especially after my recent experience I wont even be reviewing any religious books on my blog. Good luck with your challenge though!
Thank you
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I do feel we need to be open about religion and I think you can be most of the time, but it’s also a subject that is so personal to people that it can get complicated very easily. I hope to avoid it though.
I can understand your hesitations when it comes to religious writing, I’m exactly the same. I was raised Catholic, but I have to admit, as soon as I was able to make up my own mind, I somewhat turned my back on religion. I somehow cannot see how that is supposed to make my life better. But I absolutely tolerate other people’s beliefs.
You should check out Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s books. Given, his French, but I do believe his books have been translated into all kinds of languages, English being among them. He has a very tolerant approach to religion. He portrays them, with their advantages and disadvantages, but he never says that one is better than the other. He weaves this discussion in with some really delightful and heart-breaking stories. His books are all relatively short (sometimes less than 100 pages), so they are an easy and quick read. Nevertheless, they stay with you for a while.
Just one example that put me off religious writing: Marilynne Robinson. I can see that her writing style is wonderful, she has a way with words (I’ve read Gilead and Home), but I felt lectured. All those long ramblings about religion somehow put me off…
Anyway, good luck with your challenge!
(Sorry, long comment is long.)
Being left with a feeling that you’ve been lectured is always hard. I think there is a possibility that that happens with literature on religion, I guess it’s hard to know in advance what kind of direction things are going to take. I have to admit that Id probably feel lectured by Dawkins as well.
Thank you for the recommendations, I will surely look into Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and his works!
I definitely understand your hesitation! I reviewed a book, Mornings in Jenin, about the Israel-Palestine conflict and felt the need to state that I wasn’t anti-Semitic multiple times. It can be really terrifying!
I think Israel-Palestine would be one of the most complicated examples to review a book about! I would be a bit terrified as well. I hope everything turned out well though.
I definitely understand the inner conflict! For me, I have this hesitation even outside of my blog, in my daily life – with friends, at the school where I teach, and with my parents.
I was brought up Catholic, self-declared atheism by the time I was 14 (but continued to go to Catholic high school until I was 18), stayed very, very atheist all through university, and then ended up converting to Islam last summer. This is a huge shift in how I look at things, or, at least, in how conversations go. I’m always afraid of offending someone or having to explain myself, because I’m not the “typical” Muslim girl and I tend to be very open to atheist viewpoints as well, which is strange for a religious person.
In blogging, I’m finding that I want to talk about books that deal with Islam on my blog, but I’m not sure how to approach it and how it would be received. Most book bloggers that I follow seem to either not talk about religion at all, or are Christian. I guess I’m a little hesitant to find out how those differences would pan out.
I’m not sure if it’s “strange” for a religious person to be open to atheist viewpoints as well, although I guess it’d be hard to look at the person and feel close to someone without wanting to share a religion, if you’re convinced the other will be “lost” if unconverted.
Maybe you should follow other bookbloggers when it comes to you wanting to read more about religion, I know there are a few out there who like to write about it (including a lot of the commenters).
And I think I can understand why it’d be hard to write about islam from an insiders perspective, especially when the bookblogging community feels overly christian or atheist. I do think it’d make for some interesting posts though. Do your blogreaders know you’ve converted to islam? Maybe the easiest way to start blogging about it is to review an overview book or something.
I for one would love for you to talk about books about Islam on your blog. I crave conversations about faith with all people, I’m Christian, but enjoy dialogue with people of other faiths. Please do it!
You know, I’ve reviewed books about various religions on my blog, and while I was hesitant at first, I’ve never had any problems! I was even MORE hesitant to review a book about the Israel/Palestine thing, and I was totally prepared to delete any crazy comments, but guess what? No problems again!
I’ve posted on various controversial topics at this point, and I’ve never been personally attacked and things have never gotten out of hand in the comments section. I think part of it is being extra-careful with how I word a post, but a part of it is also that the book blogging community in general rocks.
No crazy comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict does show a lot of “openness” to religious subjects in the bookblogging community. I do feel hesitant, but it’s not out of any bad experience. I’ll listen to all of you and try to be careful but proceed with writing down my thoughts.
I completely understand why you hesitate. I’m not sure if I’d have been comfortable posting my Pullman review back when I was a new-ish blogger, but now that I’ve gotten to know people better I realise that, like Eva said, the community mostly rocks. I think that as long as we word things carefully and tactfully, people won’t take offense. I’m definitely an atheist who loves to discuss religion – not because I want to challenge people’s beliefs, but because I want to understand an experience that I haven’t had myself. Faith matters so much to so many people that I find it hard to understand NOT being curious about it
“because I want to understand an experience that I haven’t had myself.”
I think that must be why I started reading/learning about religion in the first place. I think that when you’re raised as an atheist or agnost it is hard not to feel curious about what other people experience and why they are attracted to religion, like you said.
i agree that as long as we are respectful of others beliefs, that the community is usually very tolerant to various belief systems.
but, it’s funny that you bring this up now. i recently received a review copy of a book published by New Hope ministries and being a non-Christian am wondering how to approach writing my review. i know i’ll figure it out, especially since i did enjoy the book, but there is always that initial hesitation of how to say what you want without offending anyone.
great, thoughtful post!
I would find it hard to review a book published by a publisher like “New Hope ministries” without being judgemental or offensive. Not that I’m prone to be judgemental, just that I’d want to be extra careful with what I say. Good luck and I’ll be looking forward to your review!
I think as long as we’re respectful of other people’s feelings and beliefs, and don’t start telling others that we are right and they are wrong, we shouldn’t have too many problems discussing religion. I’m not interested in changing anyone else’s mind, or promulgating my own point of view. I certainly don’t believe I know the truth or have any answers.
As child I was taught never to talk about money, religion, or politics, because it could lead to disagreements. I still have a bit of a problem talking about money.
Money is another one of those things. My parents were raised like that, so I was raised in a manner that expects you not to tell too much of your financial situation.
I think I agree that as long as long as nobody claims to know “the truth” everything should be fine. Then again, it might be hard for some believers not to think they know the truth.
I was never raised to watch what I say about money/finances, but I’m learning the hard way — as an adult — that sometimes it’s just better to keep my mouth shut about money.
People really do treat you differently according to whether or not you have money. Sad, but totally true. Even if they don’t do it consciously, I’ve noticed that there’ve been a lot of people that’ve started avoiding me, and I think it very much has to do with the fact that they have money and we don’t.
Silly, when you think about it — but, it’s the way it is.
As someone coming at the topic from a different angle (i.e., deeply religious with personal experience that includes fundamentalist, evangelical, conservative, progressive, and liturgical Christian traditions), I totally understand your hesitation. I’m working on a master’s in theological studies, and I’ve been reluctant to write about theological books on my blog. It’s perhaps a lucky thing that since I started blogging I’ve mostly read articles and large chunks of books, not anything reviewable. I worry that people will think I’m trying to proselytize if I endorse a book that presents a Christian worldview, when that wouldn’t be my intent at all. So I’ve just told myself to make that clear when writing a review.
Mostly, I think the book blogging community is curious, fair-minded, and interested in multiple perspectives. I was heartened by the response I got to a recent post about Christian-themed books. And Eva and Ana have both written good, sensitive posts about books of a religious nature.
I can understand your hesitation. I for one would be interested in reading those reviews though! I do think people might expect you to try and propagate your viewpoints, it always is easier to judge a review by saying that “oh, but she’s a believer so what she’s saying doesn’t count” but I do think that that is the most insulting thing to do. It would be acting as if people who believe cannot be as rational and non-believers. I do feel that people are approached that way in the media sometimes, and a certain belief in secular rationalism seems to be implied in modernity (not that I agree with that), so I think people tend to generalise too easily when it comes to such situations.
Me, too! I wouldnt’ mind being able to stay in the book blogosphere to discuss to faith instead of having to always go outside of it for the conversations I crave.
A ‘masters on religious studies from a historical perspective’ sounds fascinating. I’m an atheist and it’s true that I’m obsessed about religion even though I’m not religious myself…maybe I’m looking for what I’m missing, who knows. But it is a very scary thing to write about because it’s something you can’t argue about if you come from different religions, and like you (and most others) I’m very careful when I discuss it because it’s easy to offend and hurt people. But I have a lot of friends from different religious backgrounds and it’s interesting to learn about them, and we all get on just fine!
I’m not saying that people cannot get along when they come from different perspectives, I hope don’t sound that way in my post!
I’m not sure if I’m looking for what I’m missing, to me it might be more a concern with wanting to understand what other people seek and find in religions?
This is SO well said! Thank you so much for sharing your own background. Coming from a pretty religious background myself, and not being so sure about it anymore, I completely understand your hesitation. I often have to think about what I’m posting, so as to not offend family and friends who are very religious. I don’t have time for another challenge, but I love to see what you all read and post. If we could just be more tolerant, religion wouldn’t be such an area of intolerance! Thanks for posting this in such a thoughtful way.
I can understand that you’re being extra careful when posting on a blog that your family and friends read as well. It must be pretty hard to go through a period of not knowing what you believe in if you come from a strict background. I hope you will be more at ease with yourself in time though, and that your family might in time see where you’re coming from as well.
Great thoughts ! Enjoyed reading your posting on the possible perils of blogging about religion books and religion in general. Since the majority of the books I blog about are devoted to the two most divisive subjects around-religion AND politics and I can certainly relate.
Keep up the good work and look forward to reading more of your posts !
Thank you for visiting! I took a look at your blog and it does seem to feature a lot of books on religion and politics (it seems most books are on both subjects, I guess they are hard to seperate at times and some of the most interesting things happen when the two interact). I’ll be sure to visit more often and added you to my Google Reader.
I can understand the hesitation but like the others said, as long as you are respectful I don’t think there will be any problems. So many of the books I read have an underlying religious theme, especially the older books, it was a popular theme in those times. It’s such a large part of life that it’s actually hard to avoid it.
It is hard to avoid, I think that’s what I meant: it has such a personal impact on people, even if you’re not a believer yourself, that it’s a subject that is hard to ignore.
I’m not expecting to have trouble, I just find myself worrying over how to phrase things a lot, when it comes to posts on religion.
Thank you for commenting!
I appreciate this post, Iris, and would love to read your thoughts. And actually now I wonder if I talk a bit too much about faith on my blog, it would never occur to me like Teresa not to review a book I read about my faith. But my blog did start out more for Christians and not so much about books so I guess I just kept plugging away at it even after it became an obvious book blog.
Anyway, for me, I enjoy discussing faith and the different roles it plays in different people’s lives.
Amy, I think you are always so respectful in the way you talk about your faith. In fact, the way you write about faith, and the way people have responded so positively, has actually helped me get over my worries.
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I’m come from an evangelical Christian background, and yet –because the church I was raised in (and have since walked away from) was so very hypocritical and legalistic– I find it very hard to talk about my faith on my blog. I hated being around people who were constantly trying to push faith on me while growing up (still do, even though I love my faith), and so I don’t want to be seen as one of “those” people. I’m not… I won’t push my faith on you.
I do share teasers from the Christian books I read during my Teaser Tuesdays meme, but always am hesitant to do so. I don’t want to turn people away. But, thankfully, I’ve found that most book bloggers don’t stay away just because I’ve shared from my Christian books. When they show up for TT the following week, I’m always glad and thankful…
Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’ll shove it down your throat.
But, I’m really glad that I don’t have to “hide” the truth about that side of myself on my blog — I’m glad to have such an open-minded, accepting community of fellow book lovers. 
~MizB