Cramming Religion Down Your Throat
Google Image Back in 1983, Joseph Girzone, a Carmelite priest, wrote his first book. It was self-published and his advertising was by word-of-mouth, but the book became wildly popular and was eventually a national best-seller. Called Joshua, A Parable for Today, it was about a strange man who moved into a small cabin in the outskirts of a little town. A carpenter and furniture maker, he made beautiful stuff, but he attracted attention, and suspicion, from townspeople because of the simple and loving way he lived. The book, as simply written as Joshua’s life, is relevant today and I recommend it. Joshua, of course, is one of the Hebrew names for Jesus, and the fact that the Joshua of the novel is a carpenter is among what makes the comparison obvious. Like Jesus 2,000 years earlier, Joshua is distrusted by the religious establishment of the late 20th century. His simple message of love contrasted with the dogma-laced religion known by many people then and now. Here’s what a ...