I really enjoyed A.J. Jacobs' "The Year of Living Biblically," which is about just what the subtitle says it's about: One man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible. The problem of course is that the Bible has a lot of bizarre rules in it, which is why A.J. wears all white clothing with tassels attached -- and never of more than one fabric; it's why he's building a hut in his living room and eating bugs. I think the thing I liked best about this book was that he never goes for the cheap laugh, as he himself says "the Bible may not have been dictated by God, it may . . . (be) filled with political agendas and outdated ideas -- but that doesn't mean the Bible can't be beautiful and sacred."
At the end of his year, Jacobs is still an agnostic, but now he's a reverent agnostic. "I now believe that whether or not there's a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. It's possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn't take away from its power or importance."
To which I say: "Amen."
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