Grab the Lapels

Sunday Lowdown #230

THIS WEEK IN REFLECTION

Philosophy and Exploring Christian Faith started last Sunday, and despite knowing better from the first summer semester, I waited until Monday early evening to get started on my school work. That was a mistake; I was frantically reading all of Genesis, which I was not aware is longer than the part where Adam and Eve realize their naked.

It’s much longer, and it’s so full of sexual depravity that I was surprised this is the first book Christians are likely to read. Using prostitutes as surrogate mothers then throwing them out to die, date raping family members, tricking a man into sleeping with you so you have his baby and trap him. At one point a man offers his virgin daughters to be raped instead of two visiting angels. . . . and this is the “first family, ” so to speak, the one God watches over.

I will say, as a former fiction writer, it is pretty spicy, but if I told my professor (and maybe even some of you) that this is some wild fiction, my opinion may not go over so well. I’ve described a few of the stories I mentioned above to Christians, and they don’t remember the parts I’m talking about.

Either way, I frantically finished the homework for both classes and realized I really need to be working Thursday through Tuesday to make the Wednesday discussion post deadline. Philosophy held its own challenges, namely I never spell “philosophy” correctly the first try, and I need to memorize all the argument formulas philosophers use.

But that leads me to the 4th of July weekend. I’m at Biscuit’s and Dad’s, so we’ll see just how well I do with homework between the parade, pig roast, visiting Granny, breakfast out, etc. Oh, and Biscuit ran a 5k again!

#20BOOKSOFSUMMER

Since not all of my books are appropriate to review on Grab the Lapels (i.e., I have several authors who identify as men on my list), I’ll give you a couple of sentences of each that I read.

This week: nothing to add

Currently reading:

  • What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
  • Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament by Ellen F. Davis
  • Questions to All Your Answers: The Journey from Folk Religion to Examined Faith by Roger E. Olson
  • Your Dog Is In The Bar by Celia Rensch Day
  • The Holy Bible (NIV)
  • Volcano: Planet Earth from Time-Life Books
  • The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
  • Ultimate Questions: Thinking about Philosophy by Nils Ch. Rauhut
  • The Private Life of Mrs Sharma by Ratika Kapur.

THIS WEEK’S BLOG POST

I felt odd about writing such a negative review of Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon because HAES is one of those phrases/ programs/ ideologies people in the fat acceptance community use. I referenced an email exchange in my review, a email exchange that led Bacon to leave the HAES community. I read the entire email exchange between Bacon and the HAES organization (which has a board; no one person owns HAES by design), and Bacon sounded dead wrong to me. Hence, the author never wrote the updated HAES book they wanted. However, I feel that my evidence and tone were convincing to readers based on the comments.

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG POST

I finished Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray, which is when I realized I’m reading a lot of stories about our earth lately, and people’s relationships to animals and land. Ray’s memoir/ observations of the Georgia landscape will be posted Wednesday.

BOOKS I BOUGHT

Books I paid for (that are not textbooks) since January 2023:

  • True-Biz by Sara Novic ($1) — BOUGHT TO HAVE A COPY
  • Rants from the Hill by Michael P. Branch ($1) — READ
  • The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories, edited by Peter Haining ($1.50)
  • What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage ($0.79) — READING
  • Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray ($0.79) — READING
  • All of Me by Venise Berry ($0.99)
  • Planet Earth books from Time Life ($4.00 for 7 books) — READING
  • North American Wildlife by Susan J. Wernert ($0.50) — READING
  • Your Dog is in The Bar by Celia Rensch Day ($o.79) — READING
  • Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber ($0.50) — RECYCLED
  • Witches’ Brew, edited by Alfred Hitchcock ($0.50)
  • At Wit’s End by Erma Bombeck ($0.50)
  • To Be Honest by Maggie Anne Martin ($0.50)
  • The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding ($0.50)
  • Young Matriarch by Karen Patterson ($10.69)

Running Cost: $24.55

BOOKS ADDED TO THE TBR PILE

26 comments

  1. I do know those stories are in Genesis! I’m kind of surprised you’ve talked to practising Christians who don’t, to be honest. All the violence etc in the first books of the Bible is a frequent topic of debate and discussion in small groups, youth groups, at conferences etc. That’s not the first book Christians are likely to read, though. Most people suggest new Christians or people who are curious start with the Gospel of John. And I don’t think all that depravity being included in Genesis means that it’s godly behaviour, by any means – in fact I’d say the biblical authors are pretty clear that it’s not. The “first family” that ultimately becomes the Israelites (that ultimately leads into the founding of the church) is just as flawed and fallen as everyone else – that’s part of what Genesis is trying to show us.

    Happy 4th July! Hope you have a good holiday.

    Like

    Reply

    • Oooooh, I was hoping you would respond to the religion part of my post, you and Karissa. I’m trying to figure out why God stuck with this one family instead of abandoning them. But maybe not abandoning them is the core of Christian faith?

      Like

      Reply

      • Well, that’s part of it – but the role of the Torah in the overarching narrative of the Bible is something I am studying (very very slowly) this year, and I think there’s more to it than that. I haven’t yet come to any conclusions, however!

        Like

        Reply

        • Interesting. Have you read much nonfiction by C.S. Lewis? I just finished a chapter in The Problem of Pain that attempts to redefine the word Love as it applies to God, and I found it rather fascinating.

          Like

          Reply

  2. Ecology of a cracker childhood sounds great. I look forward to your review. I really think that as of this week, and certainly as of next week, my life should start returning to something a bit more normal. SO, I hope to read more blog posts on time.

    Your description of Genesis made me laugh, but also horrified me. I don’t think I’ve ever read it right through from beginning to end, but the OT does seem to be more about the God of Wrath, while the NT is a God of Love. We have to see it as stories rather than as history but what are the stories telling us? You’ll have to tell me!!

    Good luck with your philosophy studies. I always like the idea of reading/studying it, but some of the writing is so abstruse. I always admire people who can explain different beliefs, succinctly and clearly.

    Adore the pic of the three of you. Enjoy your July 4 holidays.

    Like

    Reply

    • As I implied, I did read Genesis with more of a creative writing eye than a Biblical one. Interestingly, the most coveted creative writing program in the U.S., The Iowa Writers Workshop, requires students to take a semester of OT and then NT because they are foundational works on which many fictional works are based. Or, like reading Shakespeare, it’s about knowing where stories come from.

      I’m glad for your sake that things will mellow out soon. Moving is a nightmare, and you’ve been in this process for a while now.

      Philosophy is going okay because we have a textbook that breaks down why different areas of philosophy have the ideas they do and which are some of the easier to defend vs. which lead to trouble. But I’m not sure these big questions really plague me, so it does feel like an exercise in futility.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Honestly, I’m not surprised that you’ve encountered many people who haven’t heard of those stories in the Bible. I have encountered far too many people who shout about Christian teachings, but have no real idea what’s in their own holy book.

    Like

    Reply

    • Based on things that a Christian from Canada and one from England have said over the years, Christians in the U.S. are quite wonky, and it’s not surprising many claim to be part of a faith for which they have not read the book — and many don’t even attend church. My mother-in-law once said she THOUGHT I was a good Christian woman (I have no clue what made her think that), and she neither goes to church nor reads the Bible. It’s just, I don’t know, a feel? Tribalism?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Philosophy and religion all in one go is A Lot! And I knew about all that Genesis stuff but also non-religious.

    Well done to Biscuit for her 5k! I’ve managed to run/walk 5k twice this last week which I’m so happy about, after months of running rehab.

    Like

    Reply

  6. Wow, go Biscuit! Your descriptions of Genesis are so funny. I’m not all that familiar with it. I do recall my older brother giving me a copy of a bible in sort of – plain language? And me starting to read it and realizing it was all the same story, but from a different point of view (Matthew, John, etc.) What a disappointment LOL I didn’t finish it

    Like

    Reply

  7. Happy 4th! Hope you had a fun time! We’ve been camping so I’m far behind on reading blogs. I find it fascinating to hear your thoughts on Genesis – it is full of depravity and grossness and in some ways that’s kind of the point. God chooses this family not because they are better than anyone else or because His choosing them results in them changing their behaviour. He chooses them and he sticks to them. His chosen people reject Him over and over again and although a lot of bad stuff happens to them, there is always a remnant that God brings through. In the later lineages of Jesus, you see how Jesus’ ancestry is traced all the way back to these people. Obviously Judaism has its own perspective but if you read the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus, one of its primary points is that people do terrible things and can never redeem themselves. Even when they’re given the law to follow, they immediately flunk it. It’s about needing salvation and a Messiah.

    And like Lou said, most Christians probably wouldn’t suggest starting with Genesis and reading straight through! I’ve often heard the Gospel of Mark recommended as a good place to start.

    Like

    Reply

    • For my class, I read what’s assigned, and it looks like we’re going straight through. I’ve read parts of the Bible before, and I think the reason it has so little impact on me, and made such little sense, is because I didn’t read it straight through. Here is a big one; I never knew that Jesus dying on the cross was one massive sacrifice that actually replaced the constant animal sacrifices folks did in the Old Testament.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • I took a Bible as Literature English course in university where we read straight through like that. You make an excellent point about reading the Bible as a whole – I think understanding Jesus in the context of the Old Testament makes a big difference. And if you read the Old Testament knowing that the people are waiting and hoping for a Messiah, you can more easily see how Jesus both fits the prophecies and how much He wasn’t what people expected.

        Like

        Reply

          • The cultural and spiritual context of Jesus’ life is hugely important. Even when I was a pretty little kid I remember being so confused that Christians could be hateful toward Jews when Jesus was Jewish and the fact of his Jewishness seemed very key.

            Like

            Reply

            • Today I was watching a video about how one big difference between Jews and future Christians was their interpretation of what happened after Jesus was crucified. One scholar said that Jews thought for sure his physical body was resurrected because in the 1st century that happened all the time. I was like, “uhhhhh, I’m gonna need some more info.”

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply

              • Oh, that’s interesting! I’ve not heard that! There are definitely stories of physical resurrections in the Bible, both by Jesus and before him, but I haven’t heard that Jews would have accepted Jesus’ own resurrection.

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply

  8. Biscuit is adorbs.

    The Old Testament is full of sex and murder and all sorts of wild stuff but yet certain Christian folks get up in arms over books on school library shelves that have a kid with two moms. I took a Bible as literature class way back in the distant university days and it was super interesting.

    Like

    Reply

Insert 2 Cents Here: