Posted by Mike O on: 10.18.2007 /
OK, I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind when he said he wanted us to emulate him, but my wife showed me this article in USA today, titled, “Agnostic cloaked himself in the Bible for a year”
He sounds like an iteresting interview!
After 381 days without shaving, A.J. Jacobs felt as if he had a hedgehog attached to his face. Now, that beard is stashed in a Ziploc bag, a souvenir of his year-long endeavor to follow the Bible’s more than 600 precepts and teachings.
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible (Simon & Schuster, $25) grew out of Jacobs’ increasing interest in the role of religion in the world.
So Jacobs, 39, an agnostic, put himself into “the mind-set and sandals” of his forefathers, “first, to find out if I was missing something — like a man who had never fallen in love or had never heard Beethoven — or if half of the world is deluded.”
An editor at large for Esquire, Jacobs is no stranger to immersion journalism. His 2004 The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World recounts the months he spent reading all 44 million words of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Following the Bible was more than time-consuming. With the help of a spiritual advisory board of rabbis, priests and ministers, Jacobs tried to live every facet of his life based on strict interpretations of Scripture.This led him to:
•Wear white. “It was like always being dressed for the semifinals at Wimbledon or a P. Diddy party.”
•Wear a robe and sandals. “Reactions varied from raised eyebrows, to people crossing to the other side of the street, to those who thought I was a tourist attraction and took pictures.”
•Herd sheep. “It’s very good for the ego. Sheep live up to stereotype — they’re sheepish. It was a good entry-level job for patriarchs. First they were shepherds, and then they led people out of Israel.”
•Eat crickets. “I chose to eat the chocolate-covered ones. They were crunchy.”
The Manhattan-based Jacobs also went on field trips. He visited with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hasidic Jews, the Amish, Samaritans and evangelical Christians. Of these experiences, he says: “I learned to be more tolerant. Handling snakes doesn’t seem as crazy when you’re seeing it firsthand.”
His biggest challenge? “That’d be no coveting, no lying, no gossiping. They’re little sins, but they’re killers. My year made me realize just how many of these sins I committed every day. And refraining from them for a year was really hard but completely transforming.”
Biggest lesson? “Your behavior shapes your beliefs. If you act like a good person, you eventually become a better person. I wasn’t allowed to gossip, so eventually I started to have fewer petty thoughts to gossip about. I had to help the less fortunate, so I started to become less self-absorbed. I am not Gandhi or Angelina Jolie, but I made some progress.”
One rule he followed to the max: Be fruitful and multiply. During his year of living biblically, his wife, Julie, gave birth to twins, Zane and Lucas.
His next project? “I’m waiting for divine inspiration,” Jacobs says.
Comment by: Karen
1Cool! I met AJ and his wife Julie when they were in town doing a book signing a few years ago. They are very nice people.
At the time he was writing the first book - which is hilarious and informative - they were undergoing infertility and worrying that they’d never have kids. I’m so glad to hear about the twins!
Comment by: Mike O
2Sweet! Small world!