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God Must Be Pissed! 'Cause I'm Confused as Hell
PLEASE DON'T READ MUCH OLDER AND REPUBLISHED AS "LOOKING FOR GOD WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF RELIGIOUS CONFUSION"
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2004
About the author
A.W. Schade
4 books14 followers Marine and Vietnam Combat Veteran, former Bank Manager, twenty-eight years in corporate management, and author of Jacob’s inspirational journey; “Looking for God within the Kingdom of Religious Confusion.”
In addition, he wrote two personal stories on PTSD, ‘‘The demons of war are persistent" and "Not alone" — Both are FREE stories to help veterans and families recognize and break the stigma of PTSD. Also, “If I fail, what doom awaits the children,” Suspense, and “The Greatest Father” Satire.
All five stories are included in Schade’s new anthology “anthologyPERCEPTION.”
Schade is married, father of three young men, and received his Business Management degree from Syracuse University. Schade’s stories can be found at my website or Amazon, B&N, Audible.com and more.
In addition, he wrote two personal stories on PTSD, ‘‘The demons of war are persistent" and "Not alone" — Both are FREE stories to help veterans and families recognize and break the stigma of PTSD. Also, “If I fail, what doom awaits the children,” Suspense, and “The Greatest Father” Satire.
All five stories are included in Schade’s new anthology “anthologyPERCEPTION.”
Schade is married, father of three young men, and received his Business Management degree from Syracuse University. Schade’s stories can be found at my website or Amazon, B&N, Audible.com and more.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 14, 2022
I appreciate Grant's five star review of my novel "Looking for God."
Review #1: Review by Grant Leishman
Reviewed By:
Grant Leishman
Review Rating:
5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! Get your free 5-star seal!
Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Looking for God by Arthur Schade is a deeply personal journey of spiritual discovery told through a fictional character, Jacob. Jacob, raised a Roman Catholic, has his life turned upside down when his beloved young daughter is killed in a senseless and preventable road accident. As Jacob tries to process his intense grief, he keeps returning to the same question: How could a loving God allow something so horrible to happen to a beautiful young life that had so much unrealized potential? Beginning to question God’s very existence, he embarks on a journey through, as he puts it, “The Kingdom of Religious Confusion” to see if he can discover God in one of the other religious paths. He initially limits his search to the mainstream western religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He quickly discovers that even within each religious road, there are numerous varying and different paths. What is Jacob to make of all these contradicting notions and how will he find answers to his most burning question – why did this happen to my little girl?
Looking for God is a deeply compelling read. In Jacob, author Arthur Schade has created a character that all readers can identify with. Who can honestly say they have not at some time questioned their faith, their belief in a supreme being, and the purpose of life? What I particularly enjoyed was that Jacob did not stop at just the religious amongst us but equally questions the assumptions and theories that science might offer as an alternative to the creation and Supreme Being belief that has permeated almost every civilization throughout history. By doing this, he effectively asks the very same questions of believers, agnostics, and atheists alike. How can you be so sure of your beliefs without empirical proof one way or the other? I understand why Jacob was constrained to these three major religions but was also thrilled that he chose to look at the Eastern religions, at least in his conclusions
One overriding conclusion that I got from this book was that the vast majority of us tend to be deeply influenced by the familial faith that we were raised on, be it Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or something else. As a result of this early indoctrination, it is often difficult and sometimes impossible to consider and accept others’ opinions. This blindness can lead to extreme fundamentalism in all religions. As the author rightly pointed out, fundamentalism is not exclusively a Muslim trait. Did Jacob find God? I’ll leave readers to discover that for themselves but I definitely highly recommend this book for all people with an open and enquiring mind.
Review #1: Review by Grant Leishman
Reviewed By:
Grant Leishman
Review Rating:
5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! Get your free 5-star seal!
Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Looking for God by Arthur Schade is a deeply personal journey of spiritual discovery told through a fictional character, Jacob. Jacob, raised a Roman Catholic, has his life turned upside down when his beloved young daughter is killed in a senseless and preventable road accident. As Jacob tries to process his intense grief, he keeps returning to the same question: How could a loving God allow something so horrible to happen to a beautiful young life that had so much unrealized potential? Beginning to question God’s very existence, he embarks on a journey through, as he puts it, “The Kingdom of Religious Confusion” to see if he can discover God in one of the other religious paths. He initially limits his search to the mainstream western religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He quickly discovers that even within each religious road, there are numerous varying and different paths. What is Jacob to make of all these contradicting notions and how will he find answers to his most burning question – why did this happen to my little girl?
Looking for God is a deeply compelling read. In Jacob, author Arthur Schade has created a character that all readers can identify with. Who can honestly say they have not at some time questioned their faith, their belief in a supreme being, and the purpose of life? What I particularly enjoyed was that Jacob did not stop at just the religious amongst us but equally questions the assumptions and theories that science might offer as an alternative to the creation and Supreme Being belief that has permeated almost every civilization throughout history. By doing this, he effectively asks the very same questions of believers, agnostics, and atheists alike. How can you be so sure of your beliefs without empirical proof one way or the other? I understand why Jacob was constrained to these three major religions but was also thrilled that he chose to look at the Eastern religions, at least in his conclusions
One overriding conclusion that I got from this book was that the vast majority of us tend to be deeply influenced by the familial faith that we were raised on, be it Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or something else. As a result of this early indoctrination, it is often difficult and sometimes impossible to consider and accept others’ opinions. This blindness can lead to extreme fundamentalism in all religions. As the author rightly pointed out, fundamentalism is not exclusively a Muslim trait. Did Jacob find God? I’ll leave readers to discover that for themselves but I definitely highly recommend this book for all people with an open and enquiring mind.
September 13, 2016
Jacob's nine year old daughter died. Jacob was devastated. Now he has questions about God. Is He real? Why does he allow such horrendous events to happen? Jacob needs answers and he talks with many people. Will he ever find peace?
Interesting and in depth, this book is worth the purchase. The author approaches the topic head on. We are encouraged to delve deeper into our own religious background. It encompasses questions many have had, have, or will have. As with all things humans can't see, touch, smell or hear, there are doubts. I liked the fact the author talks about other religions. It's not just centered on one religion. You will have questions long after you finish this book.
I didn't find any issues.
I gave this one 4 cheers out of 5 because it's almost too much information. ~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
Interesting and in depth, this book is worth the purchase. The author approaches the topic head on. We are encouraged to delve deeper into our own religious background. It encompasses questions many have had, have, or will have. As with all things humans can't see, touch, smell or hear, there are doubts. I liked the fact the author talks about other religions. It's not just centered on one religion. You will have questions long after you finish this book.
I didn't find any issues.
I gave this one 4 cheers out of 5 because it's almost too much information. ~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
August 29, 2019
A book resplendent with real spirituality--and a lot of typos!
A.W. Schade must have been in a hurry to write this book. His prose gushes out like something suddenly released from bondage. His protagonist races through the three Abrahamic religions like a greyhound and finally comes to a screeching halt after a very fine and valuable exchange with Rabbi Benjamin Golden.
This is not a novel in the usual sense of the term. It is a spiritual odyssey that touches on the allegorical. Jacob is every man who has examined his heart and soul and asked for spiritual truth. He is every man who has yearned for God.
The central problem for Jacob is the ancient problem of evil in the world, a problem that some of the greatest philosophers, both religious and secular, have grappled with for centuries with no solution in sight. Jacob and the clerics he meets cannot solve the problem because they insist on believing in a God that is both all powerful and all benevolent, the kind of god that worldly philosophers have dismissed as impossible or a logical contradiction.
Here is how Schade makes concrete the problem: "Jacob often wondered if he were omnipotent and omniscient, as God, if he would have watched the car slam into [his beloved and only child] Jessica without saving her, or be able to watch a child being raped, die of starvation or disease and yet not provide food or medicine." (p. 140)
But this is not just another book on how a man has his faith sorely tested and how he resolves that by choosing to believe, as Jacob does. What sets it apart from other books, and allows us to overlook the poor proofreading and some howling errors that should have been caught by an editor, is what Schade does so very well:
First, the religious persons that he meets on his journey are admirable and wise. Father Doyle, Cardinal Leopold and even the Lutheran televangelist are excellent representatives of Christianity, learned clerics of faith and kindness, as are Muhja who represents Islam, and Rabbi Golden who speaks for Judaism. (Would that more of our religious leaders were as spiritual!) Furthermore, the way Schade presents their views constitutes each in its own way a mini summation of what each religion is about. Someone wanting an introduction to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism could do a lot worse than reading this book for that reason alone.
Second, Jacob himself is sincere, modest, and earnest in his quest, but he too is learned and asks the right questions.
Third, it is the central question that he asks, and the answer he finds that is profound. His question is how to find God. That is why he is searching these paths. He assumes a stance of naivete in believing that he can find the way to God through one of the three great religions of the Middle East only to discover--and this is the power of the book--that it is faith itself that he must find, and if he were somehow to have irrefutable proof of God's existence, then he wouldn't need faith.
This I believe is a profound idea. God could show himself to us in an unmistakable manner, but does not. Why? Because man actually needs the strength of faith to deal with the vicissitudes of this world. Note Jacob's question, "Why would God create so many paths of religion? Is it so we could not find him?" (p. 142) We can't find him empirically because if we did we would not learn the lesson of faith!
So in essence, as Jacob goes on his journey thinking he is searching for God, what he finds is faith, the faith that will allow him to live with the tragedy that has befallen him and his daughter.
Some other aspects of the "novel" that are admirable include Jacob's very telling delineation of some of the atrocities committed in the name of God found in the Old Testament and in the Qu'ran. (pp. 110-111)
I also liked this somewhat satirical, but right on the money, mini-lesson from Rabbi Golden, who says in part, "...I regret that God didn't believe your situation so grave that it warranted His personal appearance." (p. 145)
Now I am going to the give our author a little lecture. To write such an inspiring and worthwhile book and to allow it to be published with so many errors is a shame! There are apostrophe faults on pages 116, 117, 143, 147 and elsewhere that I didn't bother to note. "Empirically" is misspelled on page 150. Words are left in that shouldn't be (e.g., p. 103: "...let me give tell you...") and words or punctuation left out (e.g., p. 104, where probably a very important comma needs to be between "Jews" and "haters"). There is a most amazingly bad semicolon error on page 152 which almost destroys the effect of a very fine statement. (The semicolon after "proliferates" should be cut).
A more significant error is this from Jacob: "...followers of Islam have been practicing these atrocities under the auspices of Allah for thousands of years." (p. 103) Since Islam has only been around for something like 1350 years, this is a nasty blunder. But, you might say, couldn't Jacob make such an error? He could, but he would be instantly corrected by Muhja, the Muslim scholar to whom he is talking, and he isn't.
A most glaring error is Jacob's idea that pranayama is a philosophy (p. 142) or a religious path (p. 152). Pranayama is a technique in hatha yoga in which the breath is controlled. It is a method of regulating the breath for health that leads to meditation.
But put these relatively minor errors aside. The book is a diamond in the rough for real, a book that, if it reaches those in earnest about the question of faith and the presence of God, will be a book that is treasured.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
A.W. Schade must have been in a hurry to write this book. His prose gushes out like something suddenly released from bondage. His protagonist races through the three Abrahamic religions like a greyhound and finally comes to a screeching halt after a very fine and valuable exchange with Rabbi Benjamin Golden.
This is not a novel in the usual sense of the term. It is a spiritual odyssey that touches on the allegorical. Jacob is every man who has examined his heart and soul and asked for spiritual truth. He is every man who has yearned for God.
The central problem for Jacob is the ancient problem of evil in the world, a problem that some of the greatest philosophers, both religious and secular, have grappled with for centuries with no solution in sight. Jacob and the clerics he meets cannot solve the problem because they insist on believing in a God that is both all powerful and all benevolent, the kind of god that worldly philosophers have dismissed as impossible or a logical contradiction.
Here is how Schade makes concrete the problem: "Jacob often wondered if he were omnipotent and omniscient, as God, if he would have watched the car slam into [his beloved and only child] Jessica without saving her, or be able to watch a child being raped, die of starvation or disease and yet not provide food or medicine." (p. 140)
But this is not just another book on how a man has his faith sorely tested and how he resolves that by choosing to believe, as Jacob does. What sets it apart from other books, and allows us to overlook the poor proofreading and some howling errors that should have been caught by an editor, is what Schade does so very well:
First, the religious persons that he meets on his journey are admirable and wise. Father Doyle, Cardinal Leopold and even the Lutheran televangelist are excellent representatives of Christianity, learned clerics of faith and kindness, as are Muhja who represents Islam, and Rabbi Golden who speaks for Judaism. (Would that more of our religious leaders were as spiritual!) Furthermore, the way Schade presents their views constitutes each in its own way a mini summation of what each religion is about. Someone wanting an introduction to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism could do a lot worse than reading this book for that reason alone.
Second, Jacob himself is sincere, modest, and earnest in his quest, but he too is learned and asks the right questions.
Third, it is the central question that he asks, and the answer he finds that is profound. His question is how to find God. That is why he is searching these paths. He assumes a stance of naivete in believing that he can find the way to God through one of the three great religions of the Middle East only to discover--and this is the power of the book--that it is faith itself that he must find, and if he were somehow to have irrefutable proof of God's existence, then he wouldn't need faith.
This I believe is a profound idea. God could show himself to us in an unmistakable manner, but does not. Why? Because man actually needs the strength of faith to deal with the vicissitudes of this world. Note Jacob's question, "Why would God create so many paths of religion? Is it so we could not find him?" (p. 142) We can't find him empirically because if we did we would not learn the lesson of faith!
So in essence, as Jacob goes on his journey thinking he is searching for God, what he finds is faith, the faith that will allow him to live with the tragedy that has befallen him and his daughter.
Some other aspects of the "novel" that are admirable include Jacob's very telling delineation of some of the atrocities committed in the name of God found in the Old Testament and in the Qu'ran. (pp. 110-111)
I also liked this somewhat satirical, but right on the money, mini-lesson from Rabbi Golden, who says in part, "...I regret that God didn't believe your situation so grave that it warranted His personal appearance." (p. 145)
Now I am going to the give our author a little lecture. To write such an inspiring and worthwhile book and to allow it to be published with so many errors is a shame! There are apostrophe faults on pages 116, 117, 143, 147 and elsewhere that I didn't bother to note. "Empirically" is misspelled on page 150. Words are left in that shouldn't be (e.g., p. 103: "...let me give tell you...") and words or punctuation left out (e.g., p. 104, where probably a very important comma needs to be between "Jews" and "haters"). There is a most amazingly bad semicolon error on page 152 which almost destroys the effect of a very fine statement. (The semicolon after "proliferates" should be cut).
A more significant error is this from Jacob: "...followers of Islam have been practicing these atrocities under the auspices of Allah for thousands of years." (p. 103) Since Islam has only been around for something like 1350 years, this is a nasty blunder. But, you might say, couldn't Jacob make such an error? He could, but he would be instantly corrected by Muhja, the Muslim scholar to whom he is talking, and he isn't.
A most glaring error is Jacob's idea that pranayama is a philosophy (p. 142) or a religious path (p. 152). Pranayama is a technique in hatha yoga in which the breath is controlled. It is a method of regulating the breath for health that leads to meditation.
But put these relatively minor errors aside. The book is a diamond in the rough for real, a book that, if it reaches those in earnest about the question of faith and the presence of God, will be a book that is treasured.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
June 24, 2013
It was a really good and obviously a lot of research has gone into the different religions that are involved in the story. The book is about a mans struggle to reaffirm his faith after a terrible loss, he can't understand why God would allow these tragedies to happen. As a christian i did really enjoy the story and the journey he took to confirm his beliefs was quite a profound one. The only issues i had were the editing needs some tidying but apart from that i would recommend this book to anyone who likes christian/catholic based reading.
November 24, 2013
Jesus must be sinusy: 'Cause I can't wait to read this!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews