Jesus Shaves

"I accepted the idea that an omniscient God had cast me in his own image and that he watched over me and guided me from one place to the next. The virgin birth, the resurrection, and the countless miracles -my
heart expanded to encompass all the wonders and possibilities of the universe.
A bell, though, that's fucked up." -From "Jesus Shaves" by David Sedaris

         We didn't read this short story for class, but I came across it while flipping through the pages to find a few assignments. Naturally, I chuckled at the title and began to read. I love any type of religious humor, especially when it is done in an appropriate manner, well as appropriate as it can be. Sedaris is hilarious in this piece commenting on the norms of other cultures. It is incredibly easy to look at other's religious traditions and poke fun at how odd they seem to be. I have been guilty of doing this on several occasions. Though, as I have grown older and studied religions quite a bit now I have learnt to both accept and appreciate many religions. Yet, it cannot be denied that Sedaris has a valid point in his claim. As a predominately Christian nation many of us have grown up with the traditional teachings of the church. Sedaris points these teachings out in the above quote. We may have tendencies to look at other religions, point a finger, and laugh, but we must not forget that ours sounds nearly just as bogus as any other religion, this is a valuable lesson to understand.