false 3359081 1 <p>One day a Georgia-born son of an Orthodox rabbi discovers that his enthusiasm for Judaism is flagging. He observes the Sabbath, he goes to synagogue, and he even flies to New York on weekends for a series of "speed dates" with nice, eligible Jewish girls. But, something is missing. Looking out of his window and across the street at one of the hundreds of churches in Atlanta, he asks, "What would it be like to be a Christian?"</p> <p>So begins Benyamin Cohen's hilarious journey that is <i>My Jesus Year</i>—part memoir, part spiritual quest, and part anthropologist's mission. Among Cohen's many adventures (and misadventures), he finds himself in some rather unlikely places: jumping into the mosh-pit at a Christian rock concert, seeing his face projected on the giant JumboTron of an African-American megachurch, visiting a potential convert with two young Mormon missionaries, attending a Christian "professional wrestling" match, and waking up early for a sunrise Easter service on top of Stone Mountain—a Confederate memorial and former base of operations for the KKK.</p> <p>During his year-long exploration, Cohen sees the best and the worst of Christianity— #8212;from megachurches to storefront churches; from crass commercialization of religion to the simple, moving faith of the humble believer; from the profound to the profane to the just plain laughable. Throughout, he keeps an open heart and mind, a good sense of humor, and takes what he learns from Christianity to reflect on his own faith and relationship to God. By year's end, to Cohen's surprise, his search for universal answers and truths in the Bible Belt actually make him a better Jew.</p> 3398255 1 10 2008 My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith total:89|5:14|4:28|3:26|2:16|1:5| 89 297 201 37 2 1 false true Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 04:40:52 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 04:43:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 2 false false Mon Nov 03 13:30:08 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 03 13:31:14 -0800 2008 2 1 false false Sun Oct 26 14:22:46 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 14:51:45 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 27 19:22:57 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 13:49:05 -0800 2008
The most interesting parts for me were his explanations of the odd Orthodox Jewish rituals. Hiding bread in Ziploc bags before Passover, who knew? The various trips to Christian churches and things were less poignant because the author...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 10:38:37 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 09 15:56:39 -0700 2008
Cohen, an Orthodox Jewish man, spends a year attending a variety of Christian services. His journalistic background helps make these experiences colorful and detailed. ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 10:29:04 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 06:25:05 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jul 24 11:31:34 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 11:31:50 -0700 2009
Somehow this leads Cohen to embark on a year-long adve...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Apr 14 19:54:28 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 20:59:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 20:10:05 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 20:10:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jan 22 07:39:36 -0800 2009 Fri Jun 05 09:45:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Dec 28 23:39:13 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 24 14:14:17 -0700 2009
1. it was beyond repetitive. the author expressed his feelings about judaism, feelings about the church across the street from himself, feelings about his father, feelings about being in church etc etc etc ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 22 14:09:17 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 29 08:21:22 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Dec 28 11:14:38 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 07 12:29:31 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 09:36:30 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 09:38:34 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 19 12:41:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 15 12:34:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Oct 12 20:34:44 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 20:35:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Oct 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 17:47:02 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 17:54:52 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 11:02:31 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 11:05:57 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 11:45:22 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 11:47:51 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 17:48:36 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 17:50:07 -0700 2009 1 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3359081