Dating Jesus by Susan Campbell

Susan Campbell discusses her Fundamentalist Christian upbringing in this memoir. She doubts the faith that she grew up in and questions it openly. Why can't women be clergy? What would happen if we sung songs with a piano? Are Fundamentalists the only ones that go to heaven?

Very educating on Fundamentalism and Christianity in general, Cambell offers a satisfying mix of fact and personal anecdotes, which is a difficult thing to find in a memoir.

I've grown up in the church. Now my faith is more of my personal choice than my parents'. Lots of people think that parents brainwash their kids into religion, but that's not me. I've always wondered why people have such negative feelings about Christianity. I know there are two main reasons from what I have seen. People either think that religion is oppressive and is just a whole bunch of stupid rules to get to a place in the sky that we have no proof exists or they think Christians are hypocrites and they don't want to have anything to do with them.

I know my denomonation isn't all rules. From most denomonations, we are very slack on rules. Fundamentalism is seems to be the complete opposite. I think the people that think religion is just rules are only looking at Fundamentalists. Jesus wasn't concerned with following every rule to the letter. He even criticized those who did! He thought there were more important things to worry about than the nitpicky rules. This book broke my heart because the rules are what turned Cambell away from her church. Although she still has good feeling in general for religion, she still isn't very passionate about it. Churches should be more to people than just rules.
Grade: B+