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Looking for God within the Kingdom of Religious Confusion

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As a believer in God, I am very much pre-disposed to appreciate expressions of faith - whatever they are. My own view is that any steps towards faith are better than steps away from it. I am also very sympathetic to the struggles of many sincere individuals to find a path they trust to be true when there are so many to choose from. This work of fiction by A. W. Schade presents what must be his examination of this issue of dealing with the issue of faith and what path to walk down.

The protagonist is Jacob, who is a Catholic. He sees his daughter, Jessica, killed in front of him when she is hit by a car and has a crisis of faith. In this book he talks to a variety of Christian ministers, priests, and teachers. We hear from Catholics, Protestants, and a Mormon. At one point, Jacob talks with an atheist and decides against non-belief.

Jacob also investigates the other two monotheistic faiths, Islam and Judaism. He hasn't much resonance with Islam because it is too rigid among other things. However, the conversation with the Rabbi actually provides Jacob with his most satisfying conversation.

The end of the book provides Jacob's judgment of what he has chosen to believe. The point of the book is that one need not be limited to a specific religious path. He rejects Jesus as being the Messiah or even the need for one and lists his what he now believes about God and its meaning for our life.

Frankly, though, I don't know what is so revolutionary about this. We live in an age of personally chosen faith. People make it up for themselves on a daily basis and change their beliefs about as often as they change their underclothes. It is no longer shocking or revolutionary. Is the author trying to free people from their commitment to being a member of a specific faith? Is he trying to recruit people to his views and start a new faith? The book doesn't say.

I also think the book shortchanges faiths that have an orthodoxy and a body of believers. A great deal of good can come from like minded people working together and living their faith. It is much easier to care for each other when you know each other well and when the other is in need. If we are all living individual lives it is hard for others to know how to help us. We all want to reach out to others. The author writing this book proves this point.

Also, as a believing Mormon, I was somewhat disturbed by the superficial treatment of our faith (and therefore I assume all the faiths). For example, the author gets the Tabernacle and the Temple confused. The Tabernacle is a large public place of worship and is the building that gives the choir its name. The Temple is only open to certain members for specific purposes such as marriage and sealing families. And like all faiths, it always looks different to the person outside looking than it does to the insider living that faith. I would point to other things as the important points of the faith than Jacob sees, however, that is the danger of a fictional telling. The person being a teacher of Mormonism can't be any more knowledgeable about the faith than the author. So, it doesn't ring as true as it would if he had interviewed an actual Mormon teacher and reported what they said rather than interpreting it and putting words in the fictional character's mouth.

Anyway, if you are interested in the kind of search Jacob goes through in this book, this is a pleasant read.

A journey of a tormented man searching for the only correct religious compass. An excellent review of the fundementals of the various religions practiced around the world today. This mysterious journey keeps the reader involved throughout the book. The conclusion was excellent.

And in the case of LOOKING FOR GOD WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF RELIGIOUS CONFUSION, it is written VERY well by AW Schade. There has always been a need for novels of this sort that explore the differences and similarities among religious faiths, but at this particular juncture in our history this book is extremely timely. While most of us are perplexed by world incidents - the terrorist attacks and threats, the seemingly interminable schism between Israel and Palestine, the fractured portions of Islam that are eroding the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan in civil wars, the splintering of the Catholic Church in various areas of the globe, the Fundamentalist versus the Liberal Christian dichotomy that divide the US - there are few solid answers as to why 'religions' that purport to respond to the wishes of the same God/Allah/Yahweh can wreak havoc on fellowmen. Is the Supreme Being a source of love and peace or a source of wrath?

Schade approaches this question with a novel: Jacob is a single Catholic father who, after enduring the atrocities of the Vietnam War, witnesses the brutal, accidental death of his only daughter. In anguish he sets out to find God and to search for the reasons of the cruelties he is witnessing. Jacob enters through the Gateway of Abraham to the mythical Kingdom of Religious Confusion, a place with many paths to take, each named after religious groups or sects. He has enlightened conversations with a Catholic priest, a series of Protestants including a Mormon practitioner, a Lutheran minister, various clergy from the Junction of Majority (Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Disciples of Christ, etc), an atheist, a Muslim educator, and a Jewish Rabbi. Each of the interviews reveals insights to the various religions, tying the similarities to the differences in a manner that makes the kernel beliefs clearly understandable.

Jacob wants one-on-one proof that God exists and each of the generous learned people he meets can only go so far in making the concept of 'faith' credible for Jacob. After hearing from all the resources Jacob finds his own answers within himself. And for those whose background in religious training is scant, Jacob's journey is enlightening. Schade offers the tenets of these Western religions in a sound, instructive manner. After his struggle with all of the new information he has gleaned, he offers (through Jacob) the following: 'If, however, I have chosen the incorrect paths to follow, I believe a loving God knows the chaos I am trying to reconcile, and the ease in which a seeker can lose his way. I believe if I should travel the wrong path, God will know my journey has been in a righteous direction, not perfect by a long shot, and accept me for trying.'

This is a wise little book that not only a fascinating read, but also a resource for those who wish to understand the different religions of the world. Schade writes with fluid prose and with careful concern for his reader's database. We can only hope Schade's next similar and much needed book will embrace the Eastern religions, as he has proven himself a fine teacher as well as a fine writer. Grady Harp, May 07

It is not often I can read a book and truly feel it has touched me enough to make a difference in my life. One of those rare books crossed my path recently, Looking For God Within the Kingdom of Religious Confusion. A. W. Schade has written a book that is bound to get people thinking for years to come.

Jacob is a man in search of meaning, but more than that, he is in search of God. Years ago, Jacob left Viet Nam with this same need for answers, but life took over and he didn't continue his search. Now, his daughter dies when a car hits her and Jacob must have the answers that tear at his heart. So, he packs his research and starts on a journey.

Stepping through the Gateway of Abraham, we follow Jacob into The Kingdom of Religious Confusion. Jacob follows paths that lead him first through Catholicism and other Christian faiths. He speaks with true believers who try and answer his questions. He travels on, speaking with those of Muslim and Jewish faith; his path takes him on a detour into a Mormon café and onto the Road of Atheism. Still he gathers more questions. At the end of his journey we are at once surprised by his conclusion, while somewhere inside we knew what it would be.

Mr. Schade has put much research into this book. As you listen to each believer, you are not jaded by the author's beliefs--indeed, you do not truly know what he believes for he is completely unbiased as he presents each avenue of thought from the viewpoint of the believer who speaks with Jacob. I see this book being read by many of the great thinkers throughout the coming years. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who harbors thoughts of peace within the world.

So you've decided God exists - or at least that something greater than yourself, something cosmic, even supernatural, looms over and perhaps within the universe. If you've jumped that hurdle, as our protaganist Jacob has, it's time to decide which religion has God best defined. But with all the variety of belief systems out there (from the pantheism of Hinduism, to the mystic non-theism of Buddhism, to the staunchly monotheistic Islam), and all the inconsistencies within each of these systems, which one is right? And how can someone ever be certain any one of them is right?

Art Schade's brief novel - though it is more informative than narrative in content - touches on these deep questions as our hero journeys through the fantastical/metaphorical Kingdom of Religious Confusion. Schade's emphasis is on the Abrahamic religions (Judeo-Christian-Islam), and it will be interesting to see if in a future book Jacob will be recast to explore the world of Eastern philosophy and religions. But what with Jacob's, and author Art Schade's, upbringing being in Western Roman Catholicism, it is natural that these would be the more immediate draw.

Jacob is an archetypal "seeker," and any reader who finds themselves searching for answers to those ultimate questions of life will be able to relate to the questions Jacob has, and the angst he experiences. "Looking for God" offers an accessible introduction to the Abrahamic religions, and a framework of questions that any seeker should be posing in their own spiritual journey. At a lean 150 pages, readable in an afternoon, Looking for God is an attractive alternative to the many doorstoppers that weigh down the bookstore Religion & Philosophy shelves.

In the face of a devastating tragedy, such as the death of a small child, it is only natural to question's God's existence. That is just what Jacob, the protagonist of this allegorical novel, does when his only child is suddenly killed. Wanting answers, Jacob sets off into the proverbial Kingdom of Religious Confusion, looking for emphatic proof of God's existence. During his journey, he explores the faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, speaking with faithful adherents of each religion. It's a relatively short book that reflects Jacob's impressions of each faith without burrowing deeply into theology, and that makes it quite readable and accessible to virtually any reader - especially those asking the same kind of questions as Jacob. The religious nature of the content, though, makes it a difficult book to review. The reader's own beliefs will strongly influence his/her impression of Schade's narrative and conclusions.

Coming from a Roman Catholic background, Jacob first seeks understanding among Christianity, a region marked by all manner of diverse paths among Catholics, Protestants, and Mormons (I personally have a problem associating Mormons with Christianity, but Jacob does find the Mormon idea of the individual trying to ascend to the spiritual essence of God appealing). Jacob arrives primed and ready to have his biggest questions addressed. He questions the accuracy of the Scriptures, for one thing, but he actually surprised me by suggesting that Christianity has more laws than it needs and that the multiplicity of commandments can be confusing. He wants to boil things down to loving God and his fellow man (which he contends would, if practiced universally, bring peace on earth). More importantly, though, Jacob is bothered by the fact that, according to Christianity, Jews and Moslems - who supposedly worship the same God as Christians - are shunned by that same God simply because they do not believe in Jesus' divinity. Jacob does not like the fact that each religion, and even different groups within a given religion, insist that their view is correct and that all others are wrong. Fundamentalists, as you might expect, get short shrift here. As a fundamentalist Southern Baptist myself, I am somewhat bothered with the image of fundamentalists conveyed in this book (and basically everywhere else you look). We are called insensitive and controlling when all we do is go by Jesus' own words and teachings in the Bible. We believe you have to go through Jesus to get to heaven because that is exactly what Jesus said.

After leaving the multi-faceted land of Christianity, Jacob goes on to explore the religions of Judaism and Islam - with a stopover in a land of atheism, as well. He basically asks Jewish and Moslem teachers the same kinds of questions he asked the Christians, while also getting something more of a historical insight into the development of these religions over time. Interestingly, Jacob rejects atheism out of hand, making it clear that he has already decided that he is going to believe in God.

In the end, I think this book is more about religion than actual faith. In the first place, Jacob's journey is a mistaken one to begin with, as you cannot expect to find God in the flesh. He eventually realized that himself, but he never discovered changed his approach in such a way as to seek actual faith. In the end, he does find answers he finds personally satisfying, but I would say those answers are borne from decisions of reason and not true belief. He undergoes no life-changing, spiritual transformation of any kind, largely because he chooses to reject Jesus as anything more than a prophet. By ultimately rejecting dogma of any kind, he rejects those who claim their form of religion is the only way to God - i.e., he rejects organized religion as a whole, deciding to worship his own version of God in his own way. That is perfectly his right, of course.

I think anyone of the three faiths explored here will have a few problems with the way his religion is dealt with in this book, but those who are actively seeking God and asking the same kind of basic questions as Jacob can certainly benefit by taking this journey alongside Jacob. Everyone's approach to God and religion is unique. Even though I reject the protagonist's ultimate conclusions, the importance of his spiritual journey is of the highest order.

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.

I loved the idea and the honesty underlining this book. I bought it after Schade's excellent interview with Reginald Finley (knowas the Infidel Guy) which awakened my curiosity for this book. The basic premise of the book is one of a traveller amongst other travellers on a road that intertwines and splits off at various point. I love the metaphor the author uses to demonstrate the evolution and relationships of various religious beliefs. Along this road Jacob encounters various people's of various of the mainstream faiths (Catholicism, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, Islam etc.) which makes for a very pleasent read.

Schade tries to balance the line between the soft apologetics of C.S. Lewis, Armstrong and the more outspoken works of people like Russell and Harris. He does this in a very personal, original and immediate way which also reflects in his writing style.

The book is a bit short and Schade forgot to really home in on the weak spots of religion, coming of a bit as a Unitarian apologetic (for lack of a better word). For example in the case of Islam where he more or less excepts Muhammed as being a divinely inspired good guy when a lot of the Islamic prophet's behaviour is rather controversial in the eyes of most historians. The book could have done with some proofreading by his publisher and printer; the formatting is all wrong in my copy. All sentences that are supposed to be in italics have a crossed out capital and a question mark in the end. There's also some historic inaccuracies in the book: the author confuses the Balkans with the Baltics.
This made me feel a bit like I was privileged to be proof reading a near finished manuscript rather than printed book. It kinda put me 'closer' to the author in a way that he probably didn't indend!

(note: the author contacted me after I initially made this post and kindly offered to sent me a corrected copy of the book for free. I declined because I really feel that sympathetic authors such as Schade deserve every penny they get from their work.)

These minor nitpicking's aside: Jacob's story is a very good one and can be inspiring for those (theists, agnostics and atheists alike) who venture on similar paths as Jacob. The book made me rethink some of my own positions on religion and God and for that I am very grateful for that experience.