CREDIT: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK
New Yorker A.J. Jacobs decided to follow the Bible to the letter for 12 months and wrote a book about it.

It has more fans worldwide than Harry Potter. More adaptations have been made of it than Hamlet. And more people have died in conflict over it than Star Wars fans and Trekkies at ComiCon. Yes, it's undeniable that the words of the Bible, despite the many sieves they've been panned through, are some of the most influential and important in this world, for better or for worse. The words printed in your hotel room's Gideon copy have given people justification to love one another and, for those who are especially dickish, a reason to hate.

However, most seem to forget that the Bible is more than just a moral guide; it contains a lot of rules, and not just on whether you should covet thy neighbour's wife (don't). It's a complete lifestyle manual, covering a wide variety of topics, ranging from the more familiar dietary rules to the more bizarre and outdated fashion policing. While most of these are delegated to the Old Testament and followed by the more nose-to-the-grindstone religious folk, like Orthodox Jews or the Amish, there are some things even they dismiss as a bit out-of-touch.

Agnostic Jewish writer A.J. Jacobs attempts to bring a secular perspective on practicing the odds and ends of the bible in The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Now, don't mistake the book for satire. While Jacobs writes the book with a wry sense of humour, his experiment — to follow every rule within the holy book to the letter — opens up some interesting avenues of thought on the nature of religion.

To give himself some guidance, Jacobs comes in contact with various religious figures, ranging from the most of liberal of Christian pastors to hardcore Evangelicals. While full of anecdotes about his various misadventures, from accidentally insulting people by refusing potentially unclean handshakes to losing his sense of tact by following “Thou shalt not bear false witness” to a new extreme, the book is also a surprisingly comprehensive examination of religion in the United States. The followers of the Old and New Testaments range between hardcore Jews to Unitarians who consider themselves atheist but follow the compassionate teachings of Jesus, and they are all given some kind of spotlight regarding their beliefs. The book also boasts a fairly serious look at those goofy Amish folk and the snake-handling churches.

Interestingly (but not surprisingly, considering the personal nature of the book), Jacobs' own transformation is given some serious self-examination. I won't spoil much, but the book definitely carries a sense that, while one doesn't have to be a follower of the Bible to have a good moral compass, reading it can put things into perspective, or at least give one the appreciation for its mandate on treating fellow people (even slaves) with compassion.

Probably the best aspect of the book is its respectful approach to its subject matter. While it doesn't attempt to stroke the ego of its Christian interviewees and subjects, the book doesn't take any cheap shots at the nature of religious folk, no matter their beliefs. TYoLB is a fascinating book, not just for its factual and unjudging look at contemporary religion, but because it extends an empathetic bridge between two opposing mindsets; the frankness of the text shines a relatable light on why people believe what they believe.

TYoLB doesn't try to sell you Christianity or Judaism; it doesn't sell you the idea of being religious, either. It's a funny story about a person gaining a sense of introspection with a purpose of self-improvement, from a rather unlikely source.

Reading Between The Lines explores books that you may have missed out on that are worth your while. If you have a book to suggest, email Eshaan at e_gupta@fanshaweonline.ca.