What do you think?
Rate this book
God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States
God Bless America lifts the veil on strange and unusual religious beliefs and practices in the modern-day United States. Do Satanists really sacrifice babies? Do exorcisms involve swearing and spinning heads? Are the Amish allowed to drive cars and use computers? Taking a close look at snake handling, new age spirituality, Santeria spells, and satanic rituals, this book offers more than mere armchair research, taking you to an exorcism and a polygamist compound—and allowing you to sit among the beards and bonnets in a Mennonite church and to hear L. Ron Hubbard’s stories told as sermons during a Scientology service. From the Amish to Voodoo, the beliefs and practices explored in this book may be unorthodox—and often dangerous—but they are always fascinating. While some of them are dying out, and others are gaining popularity with a modern audience, all offer insight into the future of religion in the United States—and remind that fact is often stranger than fiction.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
20 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
About the author
Karen Stollznow
28 books107 followersDr. Karen Stollznow is a linguist, author, and broadcaster whose work bridges scholarship and public engagement. Her books include Beyond Words: How We Learn, Use, and Lose Language; Bitch: The Journey of a Word; On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present; Missed Conceptions: How We Make Sense of Infertility; God Bless America; Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic; and Haunting America. She is also the author of the short fiction collection Fisher’s Ghost and Other Stories.
She co-hosts the award-winning science podcast Monster Talk, contributes regularly to Psychology Today, Cambridge Core, and The Conversation, and has spent many years investigating anomalous claims through the lens of skepticism and science.
Karen holds a PhD in Linguistics and has taught at universities in both the United States and Australia. She previously worked as a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Karen now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their son.
She co-hosts the award-winning science podcast Monster Talk, contributes regularly to Psychology Today, Cambridge Core, and The Conversation, and has spent many years investigating anomalous claims through the lens of skepticism and science.
Karen holds a PhD in Linguistics and has taught at universities in both the United States and Australia. She previously worked as a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Karen now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 28, 2017
This was nothing special. Anyone with an inquisitive mind and the ability to search the internet could have discovered most of the information presented in this book.
The above being said, the chapter on Scientology was enlightening and possibly the exception to what I stated above.
The chapter on New Age Spirituality was so cynical and angry. The author lost me and all objectivity when discussing the various things in this chapter. She instead chose to have a rant about people like Shirley MacLaine.
In the author's defense the New Age section was a short section with a lot of ground to cover; too much ground to cover in one chapter.(New Age could have probably filled a book of its own)
I felt she was unfair to Traditional Chinese Medicine in the New Age section, although she barely mentioned it along with everything else, but she did waste no time comparing it to things like Dianetics which I thought was unfair. Perhaps in China, practitioners of this ancient form of medicine say they can sure illnesses like cancer, but in Western practice a real responsibility is shown in making sure that people understand that it is meant to cure no serious illnesses and a willingness to work with your regular medical practitioner is shown. Years of training must be undertaken,(I know because my wife was in this program for at least two years before deciding this was a career path she did not enjoy enough to undertake all of the extremely rigorous work and hard study it involved) and it is a very extensive program and the practitioners must undergo an apprenticeship program and take a very difficult test to be licensed. It has been shown to be effective for things like chronic pain (perhaps it was the "placebo effect" but it honestly worked for me when I hurt my back and then my knee, in alleviating pain that went with those injuries) and I get that it can be dangerous if one doesn't go to the doctor to find out the original cause of never ending chronic pain etc. etc. Anyway, the New Age chapter bothered me for many reasons and not just because of her unfairness to Traditional Chinese Medicine. She just wasn't objective enough and she obviously focused on the "snake oil salesman" aspects of the whole thing which does exist in any religion or spiritual practices. Which incidentally, was the tone of the whole book.
All in all this was a disappointing read, that really did not go into enough depth to truly make it worth the effort to read this. Thankfully this was a super easy read. The exception as I mentioned before was probably the section on Scientology. The section on New Age was terrible. It showed no objectivity; was too broad, and clearly the author was angry about New Age and was unable to present a balanced view. The author also had a condescending tone throughout the whole book but got worse and worse as the book went on, that I found to be disrespectful of her readers. She clearly became angrier and angrier as she wrote this and sometimes for good reason as some of things stated in this book are eye opening although I would have liked more information, more eyewitness accounts etc.
Sadly, I just can't recommend this which is disappointing. I can only honestly give this two stars, maybe two and a half (due to the Scientology section), if I was allowed to give 1/2 stars. This book could have been so much more interesting than it was. Don't bother with this. Most of the stuff in this book can be found with a thorough search of the internet and it will probably be a whole lot less cynical as well.
The above being said, the chapter on Scientology was enlightening and possibly the exception to what I stated above.
The chapter on New Age Spirituality was so cynical and angry. The author lost me and all objectivity when discussing the various things in this chapter. She instead chose to have a rant about people like Shirley MacLaine.
In the author's defense the New Age section was a short section with a lot of ground to cover; too much ground to cover in one chapter.(New Age could have probably filled a book of its own)
I felt she was unfair to Traditional Chinese Medicine in the New Age section, although she barely mentioned it along with everything else, but she did waste no time comparing it to things like Dianetics which I thought was unfair. Perhaps in China, practitioners of this ancient form of medicine say they can sure illnesses like cancer, but in Western practice a real responsibility is shown in making sure that people understand that it is meant to cure no serious illnesses and a willingness to work with your regular medical practitioner is shown. Years of training must be undertaken,(I know because my wife was in this program for at least two years before deciding this was a career path she did not enjoy enough to undertake all of the extremely rigorous work and hard study it involved) and it is a very extensive program and the practitioners must undergo an apprenticeship program and take a very difficult test to be licensed. It has been shown to be effective for things like chronic pain (perhaps it was the "placebo effect" but it honestly worked for me when I hurt my back and then my knee, in alleviating pain that went with those injuries) and I get that it can be dangerous if one doesn't go to the doctor to find out the original cause of never ending chronic pain etc. etc. Anyway, the New Age chapter bothered me for many reasons and not just because of her unfairness to Traditional Chinese Medicine. She just wasn't objective enough and she obviously focused on the "snake oil salesman" aspects of the whole thing which does exist in any religion or spiritual practices. Which incidentally, was the tone of the whole book.
All in all this was a disappointing read, that really did not go into enough depth to truly make it worth the effort to read this. Thankfully this was a super easy read. The exception as I mentioned before was probably the section on Scientology. The section on New Age was terrible. It showed no objectivity; was too broad, and clearly the author was angry about New Age and was unable to present a balanced view. The author also had a condescending tone throughout the whole book but got worse and worse as the book went on, that I found to be disrespectful of her readers. She clearly became angrier and angrier as she wrote this and sometimes for good reason as some of things stated in this book are eye opening although I would have liked more information, more eyewitness accounts etc.
Sadly, I just can't recommend this which is disappointing. I can only honestly give this two stars, maybe two and a half (due to the Scientology section), if I was allowed to give 1/2 stars. This book could have been so much more interesting than it was. Don't bother with this. Most of the stuff in this book can be found with a thorough search of the internet and it will probably be a whole lot less cynical as well.
June 23, 2017
God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States by Karen Stollznow
“God Bless America" is an entertaining exploration of unusual religious practices still found in the United States today. Doctor Stollznow with a PhD in linguistics and background in history and anthropology shares her many talents in this enlightening and amusing book. Her journey from an outsider’s point of view results in many interesting insights that help paint a clearer picture of these religious practices. This enlightening 224-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Modern-Day Prophets and Polygamists: Fundamentalist Mormons, 2. The Not-So-Simple Life: The Amish and Mennonites, 3. Signs, Wonders, and Miracles: Charismatics and Pentecostals, 4. Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Juju: Afro-Caribbean Religions, 5. Full of the Devil: Demonic Possession and Exorcisms, 6. Sympathy for the Devil: Satanism, 7. It’s All in Your Head: Dianetics and Scientology, 8. Something Old, Something New: New Age Spirituality, and 9. Friends in High Places: The Quakers.
Positives:
1. Well-written and well-researched book. A page-turner and it’s a breeze in fewer than 225 pages.
2. Fascinating topic: unusual religious beliefs in America.
3. Fair and even-handed treatment and welcomed sense of humor that adds to the enjoyment of reading this book.
4. A good representative list of religious sects and their unusual practices broken out by chapter. A lot of material covered in a relatively small book.
5. Does a very good job of consistently describing the origins of each religious group and builds up from there to their unusual practices.
6. The religious practices of Mormons. “Women are not allowed to cut their hair, in deference to the Bible passage where Mary Magdalene anoints Jesus with perfume, and wipes his feet with her long hair (John 12:3). Some fundamentalists believe that Jesus was a polygamist, who was married to Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Martha.”
7. An interesting chapter on the Amish and Mennonites. “Rumspringa is the rite of passage before joining the church where youths experience the outside world, and often land themselves in serious trouble.”
8. Interspersed throughout the book you get great quotes with deep implications. “Patriarchal societies devalue and even dehumanize women, making abuse easier.”
9. Sparing but good use of scripture to explain odd practices. “To fulfill Jesus’ commandment to ‘raise the dead’ (Matthew 10:8), Tyler Johnson founded the Dead Raising Team.” Interesting. Bonus, “In Acts (28:1–6) Paul survives a bite from a vicious viper. Mark (16:17–18) promises impunity from snakes and even poison, “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
10. A fascinating history on voodoo. “There is no Voodoo Bible. Voodoo has an oral tradition, and its beliefs and practices have been passed down through the generations.”
11. You know you want to know more about zombies. “In Haiti, the belief in zombies is widespread, and turning someone into a zombie is considered an act of revenge. Zombification is so feared that it is a common practice to stand guard over a fresh tomb for days to weeks to protect the corpse, and to place poisons or charms with the body, or even to decapitate a body before burial.”
12. Interesting facts. “A recent Gallup poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe in the devil.”
13. Exorcism. “Like bloodletting and trepanning, exorcism as a “cure” is more dangerous than the disease. Exorcisms can result in serious psychological abuse, physical injury, and even death. Particularly abhorrent are the exorcisms of children, of people with mental illness or disabilities, and the practice of “gay exorcism,” when the demons that supposedly cause homosexuality are exorcised.”
14. Dr. Stollznow has a good sense of humor and is not afraid to use it. “In many ways, Satanism is a religion for a$$holes.”
15. A look into scientology. “Not only is Scientology a pyramid scheme, but it is a cult.”
16. New Age Spirituality. “New Age Spirituality is not only unscientific, but is also often antiscience.”
17. A recurring theme the danger of some practices. “Psychic surgeons are frauds known for using sleight-of-hand techniques, with chicken entrails and blood as props. Kaufman had two cancerous “tumors” removed, but within two months of returning to the United States, he died.”
18. The closing chapter on Quakers was very enlightening. “In more modern times, Quakers headed the women’s suffrage movement, and they have worked to achieve equality for the LGBT community. Quakers protect the environment and campaign for animal rights.”
Negatives:
1. The digital book provides references but does not take advantage of linking capability, shame.
2. No formal bibliography but at least a list of other Pitchstone titles was made available.
3. No visual material provided. Tables, graphs, timelines would have added value.
4. There is more material where this came from. Not intended to be a comprehensive study of each religious practice but enough to whet the appetite.
In summary, this was an enlightening and fun book to read. It succeeds in providing readers with fascinating insights into the religious practices of the groups selected and it does so with keen observations and a touch of humor. I hope there is a sequel to this book…”Lord” knows there is more material. Looking forward to more books from Dr. Stollznow, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “The Mormons” by David Fitzgerald, “Inside Scientology” by Janet Reitman, “Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape” by Jenna Miscavige Hill, “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolution versus Creationism: An Introduction” by Eugenie C. Scott, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
“God Bless America" is an entertaining exploration of unusual religious practices still found in the United States today. Doctor Stollznow with a PhD in linguistics and background in history and anthropology shares her many talents in this enlightening and amusing book. Her journey from an outsider’s point of view results in many interesting insights that help paint a clearer picture of these religious practices. This enlightening 224-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Modern-Day Prophets and Polygamists: Fundamentalist Mormons, 2. The Not-So-Simple Life: The Amish and Mennonites, 3. Signs, Wonders, and Miracles: Charismatics and Pentecostals, 4. Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Juju: Afro-Caribbean Religions, 5. Full of the Devil: Demonic Possession and Exorcisms, 6. Sympathy for the Devil: Satanism, 7. It’s All in Your Head: Dianetics and Scientology, 8. Something Old, Something New: New Age Spirituality, and 9. Friends in High Places: The Quakers.
Positives:
1. Well-written and well-researched book. A page-turner and it’s a breeze in fewer than 225 pages.
2. Fascinating topic: unusual religious beliefs in America.
3. Fair and even-handed treatment and welcomed sense of humor that adds to the enjoyment of reading this book.
4. A good representative list of religious sects and their unusual practices broken out by chapter. A lot of material covered in a relatively small book.
5. Does a very good job of consistently describing the origins of each religious group and builds up from there to their unusual practices.
6. The religious practices of Mormons. “Women are not allowed to cut their hair, in deference to the Bible passage where Mary Magdalene anoints Jesus with perfume, and wipes his feet with her long hair (John 12:3). Some fundamentalists believe that Jesus was a polygamist, who was married to Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Martha.”
7. An interesting chapter on the Amish and Mennonites. “Rumspringa is the rite of passage before joining the church where youths experience the outside world, and often land themselves in serious trouble.”
8. Interspersed throughout the book you get great quotes with deep implications. “Patriarchal societies devalue and even dehumanize women, making abuse easier.”
9. Sparing but good use of scripture to explain odd practices. “To fulfill Jesus’ commandment to ‘raise the dead’ (Matthew 10:8), Tyler Johnson founded the Dead Raising Team.” Interesting. Bonus, “In Acts (28:1–6) Paul survives a bite from a vicious viper. Mark (16:17–18) promises impunity from snakes and even poison, “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
10. A fascinating history on voodoo. “There is no Voodoo Bible. Voodoo has an oral tradition, and its beliefs and practices have been passed down through the generations.”
11. You know you want to know more about zombies. “In Haiti, the belief in zombies is widespread, and turning someone into a zombie is considered an act of revenge. Zombification is so feared that it is a common practice to stand guard over a fresh tomb for days to weeks to protect the corpse, and to place poisons or charms with the body, or even to decapitate a body before burial.”
12. Interesting facts. “A recent Gallup poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe in the devil.”
13. Exorcism. “Like bloodletting and trepanning, exorcism as a “cure” is more dangerous than the disease. Exorcisms can result in serious psychological abuse, physical injury, and even death. Particularly abhorrent are the exorcisms of children, of people with mental illness or disabilities, and the practice of “gay exorcism,” when the demons that supposedly cause homosexuality are exorcised.”
14. Dr. Stollznow has a good sense of humor and is not afraid to use it. “In many ways, Satanism is a religion for a$$holes.”
15. A look into scientology. “Not only is Scientology a pyramid scheme, but it is a cult.”
16. New Age Spirituality. “New Age Spirituality is not only unscientific, but is also often antiscience.”
17. A recurring theme the danger of some practices. “Psychic surgeons are frauds known for using sleight-of-hand techniques, with chicken entrails and blood as props. Kaufman had two cancerous “tumors” removed, but within two months of returning to the United States, he died.”
18. The closing chapter on Quakers was very enlightening. “In more modern times, Quakers headed the women’s suffrage movement, and they have worked to achieve equality for the LGBT community. Quakers protect the environment and campaign for animal rights.”
Negatives:
1. The digital book provides references but does not take advantage of linking capability, shame.
2. No formal bibliography but at least a list of other Pitchstone titles was made available.
3. No visual material provided. Tables, graphs, timelines would have added value.
4. There is more material where this came from. Not intended to be a comprehensive study of each religious practice but enough to whet the appetite.
In summary, this was an enlightening and fun book to read. It succeeds in providing readers with fascinating insights into the religious practices of the groups selected and it does so with keen observations and a touch of humor. I hope there is a sequel to this book…”Lord” knows there is more material. Looking forward to more books from Dr. Stollznow, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “The Mormons” by David Fitzgerald, “Inside Scientology” by Janet Reitman, “Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape” by Jenna Miscavige Hill, “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolution versus Creationism: An Introduction” by Eugenie C. Scott, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
September 18, 2015
Dr. Stollznow takes a number of fringe religions and practices, condenses them into understandable bites, and helps the reader to get a better grasp of the religion or practice.
She includes such fringe groups as Quakers, Fundamentalist Mormons, Amish and Mennonite communities, New Age Spirituality, Satanism, Scientology, Charismatics,and Afro-Caribbean.
Each chapter concerns a different sect in which Dr. Stollznow gives a brief overview of the religion, including some history and background as to where the belief system originated. She explores the modern day practices, and does include her visits and experiences with the different groups.
Dr. Stollznow does take a hard look at each group through the lens of a skeptic, so do not expect all her experiences to be favorable. She does possess a dry wit, and this is very evident in her summations of each belief system.
If you are well versed in comparative religion, this is a very quick, enjoyable read. For those who are looking for information on different religious practices, this is rather informative, but does not dive particularly in depth into any group. It is a good book to have around for a jumping off point into discussion or education on a number of subjects, and Dr. Stollznow does include a number of reference books to look into for further information on each chapter.
I quite thoroughly enjoyed the book, as it is written in a very conversational style, and even while presenting more obscure information, never strays into a patronizing tone. I would certainly recommend this book to people of all ages, as there is little to no content that would require an age rating. It is also worth noting that Dr. Stollznow does regularly participate in the Point of Inquiry and MonsterTALK podcasts, and is a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer.
She includes such fringe groups as Quakers, Fundamentalist Mormons, Amish and Mennonite communities, New Age Spirituality, Satanism, Scientology, Charismatics,and Afro-Caribbean.
Each chapter concerns a different sect in which Dr. Stollznow gives a brief overview of the religion, including some history and background as to where the belief system originated. She explores the modern day practices, and does include her visits and experiences with the different groups.
Dr. Stollznow does take a hard look at each group through the lens of a skeptic, so do not expect all her experiences to be favorable. She does possess a dry wit, and this is very evident in her summations of each belief system.
If you are well versed in comparative religion, this is a very quick, enjoyable read. For those who are looking for information on different religious practices, this is rather informative, but does not dive particularly in depth into any group. It is a good book to have around for a jumping off point into discussion or education on a number of subjects, and Dr. Stollznow does include a number of reference books to look into for further information on each chapter.
I quite thoroughly enjoyed the book, as it is written in a very conversational style, and even while presenting more obscure information, never strays into a patronizing tone. I would certainly recommend this book to people of all ages, as there is little to no content that would require an age rating. It is also worth noting that Dr. Stollznow does regularly participate in the Point of Inquiry and MonsterTALK podcasts, and is a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer.
January 12, 2017
I started reading this book (after it was recommended by a friend...thanks JW) standing next to my laptop, thinking that I might be able to finish it before lunch. But soon I found out that each chapter has a bibliography with links to a variety of articles, books and websites that delved a bit deeper into the creative and entertaining prose from Karen Stollznow. The rest is the typical on-line twist-off that to those websites and YouTube shorts we all know and love so well..... Good time!
But the book...
Of the nine chapters the author excoriates eight of the more prominent sects of our modern christian religion, giving first a brief historical background of the sect, followed by the merits/demerits of the 'faith'...Ms Stollznow is not a fan...ending with a personal experience with those organizations.
As a very much amateur in the history of religions, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the observations...especially some of the videos. I was also struck by historical similarities with religious sects throughout history...there have been a lot of kooks way back when...
No more details...hey, it's only 200 pages, you can read it before lunch.
Recommended.
But the book...
Of the nine chapters the author excoriates eight of the more prominent sects of our modern christian religion, giving first a brief historical background of the sect, followed by the merits/demerits of the 'faith'...Ms Stollznow is not a fan...ending with a personal experience with those organizations.
As a very much amateur in the history of religions, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the observations...especially some of the videos. I was also struck by historical similarities with religious sects throughout history...there have been a lot of kooks way back when...
No more details...hey, it's only 200 pages, you can read it before lunch.
Recommended.
November 3, 2020
DNF. This was not what I expected, and I bailed pretty early in. When I signed on for "strange and unusual" I wasn't thinking of religions that most of us are at least somewhat aware of like the Amish and Mormon fundamentalists.
I also definitely expected more "weird" and less "here's a litany of abuse that people (primarily women and children) suffer under the beliefs of these groups".
The book wasn't bad, it just wasn't at all what I thought I was picking up and I wasn't up for its almost exclusive focus on abuses.
I also definitely expected more "weird" and less "here's a litany of abuse that people (primarily women and children) suffer under the beliefs of these groups".
The book wasn't bad, it just wasn't at all what I thought I was picking up and I wasn't up for its almost exclusive focus on abuses.
November 8, 2020
(This review concerns God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States, by Karen Stollznow, in case Goodreads does this stupid thing where it collapses multiple entries into some type of anthology edition)
General impressions
Rating (Intuitive*): 4
Rating (Weighted**): 3.59
RMSE***(Intuitive,Weighted): 0.437
Mean error***(Intuitive,Weighted): -0.054
Format: Audiobook
Language: English
Topic
Importance: 3/5 [w:1]
Interestingness: 4/5 [w:2.5]
Anecdotes and data
Numeracy and epistemic hygiene: 2/5 [w:3]
Interestingness: 5/5 [w:2]
Presentation
Clarity & disposition: 4/5 [w:2.5]
Prose: 4/5 [w:1.5]
Additional modifiers
Page turner factor: 4/5 [w:3.5]
Mind blown factor: 3/5 [w:2.5]
*The rating I felt this deserved before thinking about it too much.
**Weights displayed next to each applicable scoring criterion. (Weights version 3.1)
***Root mean squared error and mean error calculated for all reviews using this format for books read from 2020-07-12 up until this book (33 reviews).
June 19, 2017
A nice overview that covers the subject on an introductory level. I was already familiar with most of the material, but it was nice to have it encapsulated in one location. Stollznow takes a fairly sympathetic viewpoint, being careful to always point out positives about each of the belief systems covered, even while focusing on some of the more outlandish beliefs. This is a fast, easy to read book.
August 1, 2023
Sadly this was a DNF after 3 chapters for me. Just too much snark for my taste. Also it seemed to have been written in bullet points rather than proper prose.
January 23, 2020
I will admit that throughout this book I found the song Thank You God by Tim Minchin playing in my head.
Want to read
December 6, 2013"God Bless America lifts the veil on strange and unusual religious beliefs and practices in the modern-day United States. Do Satanists really sacrifice babies? Do exorcisms involve swearing and spinning heads? Are the Amish allowed to drive cars and use computers? Taking a close look at snake handling, new age spirituality, Santeria spells, and satanic rituals, this book offers more than mere armchair research, taking you to an exorcism and a polygamist compound, and allowing you to sit among the beards and bonnets in a Mennonite church and to hear L. Ron Hubbard's stories told as sermons during a Scientology service. From the Amish to Voodoo, the beliefs and practices explored in this book may be unorthodox, and often dangerous, but they are always fascinating. While some of them are dying out, and others are gaining popularity with a modern audience, all offer insight into the future of religion in the United States and remind us that fact is often stranger than fiction."
"Karen Stollznow, PhD, is a linguist with a background in history and anthropology. She is the author of Haunting America, Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic, and Red, White and (True) Blue, and is a researcher of anomalous claims. Dr. Karen writes the "Bad Language" column forSkeptic magazine, and is a host the Monster Talk podcast. She is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation."
"America was founded in a religious tolerance which was later enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. This set up a breeding ground for a motley riffraff of cults and weird beliefs – a kind of theological freak show or theological Badlands. Karen Stollznow ventured intrepidly into this "Here be Dragons" territory and her book parades specimens and trophies for our amazement, described with lively good humour and analysed with a sympathetic intelligence. One of the commonest questions I am asked is what makes America so religious. Karen Stollznow's book will become an essential resource for answering it."
~Richard Dawkins
http://store.richarddawkins.net/produ...
"Karen Stollznow, PhD, is a linguist with a background in history and anthropology. She is the author of Haunting America, Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic, and Red, White and (True) Blue, and is a researcher of anomalous claims. Dr. Karen writes the "Bad Language" column forSkeptic magazine, and is a host the Monster Talk podcast. She is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation."
"America was founded in a religious tolerance which was later enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. This set up a breeding ground for a motley riffraff of cults and weird beliefs – a kind of theological freak show or theological Badlands. Karen Stollznow ventured intrepidly into this "Here be Dragons" territory and her book parades specimens and trophies for our amazement, described with lively good humour and analysed with a sympathetic intelligence. One of the commonest questions I am asked is what makes America so religious. Karen Stollznow's book will become an essential resource for answering it."
~Richard Dawkins
http://store.richarddawkins.net/produ...
December 31, 2013
This book is an examination of the weirder stuff in the world of religion. It suffer from the same weakness that many popular science books have: If you're at all well read on this subject, then you already know most of this. That said, it's still an interesting read. While I was familiar with much of the information, it's good to have it clearly written down all in one book. (Plus, the Quaker stuff was new to me.)
One weird thing is that the author visited many of these folks, to gain some insight. Alas, those sections seem shallow and tacked on for the sake of being able to say she did it. If you're going to try and gain real personal insight, you really need to throw yourself into it. See Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me About Sex, God, and Fury by Donna Minkowitz for a good example of this.
On the other hand, a weakness Ferocious Romance has is that the author becomes fond of the folks she visits and is thus unable to really lay into them when they deserve it. (By my vague memory, at least. I read it years ago.) Stollznow has no such qualms. However, instead of a detailed criticism, she unloads with paragraphs of invective, but leaves the details to sources listed in the bibliography.
All of which makes this an odd book. The author doesn't gets personally involved enough to provide a good personal take, yet nor does she provide detailed critical analysis. That just leaves descriptions of the weird stuff. For many folks, that will be plenty. It just wasn't enough for me.
Still, it's an interesting read.
One weird thing is that the author visited many of these folks, to gain some insight. Alas, those sections seem shallow and tacked on for the sake of being able to say she did it. If you're going to try and gain real personal insight, you really need to throw yourself into it. See Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me About Sex, God, and Fury by Donna Minkowitz for a good example of this.
On the other hand, a weakness Ferocious Romance has is that the author becomes fond of the folks she visits and is thus unable to really lay into them when they deserve it. (By my vague memory, at least. I read it years ago.) Stollznow has no such qualms. However, instead of a detailed criticism, she unloads with paragraphs of invective, but leaves the details to sources listed in the bibliography.
All of which makes this an odd book. The author doesn't gets personally involved enough to provide a good personal take, yet nor does she provide detailed critical analysis. That just leaves descriptions of the weird stuff. For many folks, that will be plenty. It just wasn't enough for me.
Still, it's an interesting read.
September 21, 2014
I normally love books like this. I love Sociology and reading about cultures and subcultures. My issue with this book is that the author quite expressly shows her disdain for every religion explored in this book with the exception of the Quakers. Her focus is on the worst of these religions. Granted each of these religions have charlatans, abusers, and jerks. There is no doubt the the official group known as FLDs headed by Warren Jeffs is an abusive use of power and religion. However, there are many different practitioners of these religions and not all of them are dupes, victims, and/or criminals. For example, there are people who are "fundamental" Mormons that practice plural marriage. They have families where everyone is a consenting adult, and are merely following what they believe to be true. I guess I was just not expecting a book in which the author displays a snarky glee in exposing how preposterous these religions are. Most religions seem ridiculous from an outside perspective; that is why they require faith. I have read many books of a similar nature and the best ones leave the judgments up to the reader.
June 11, 2016
As a former ministerial student I was aware of some of the religious practices discussed by Dr. Stollznow, but her coverage of the more bizarre ones shocked even me. Some readers/reviewers have commented negatively about her "bias" since she writes with a very healthy skepticism, but I found it refreshing to not have her attempting to rationalize or justify the practices about which she wrote. When something was weird, she rightly called it weird. Each chapter had an extensive bibliography to support it, but I do wish there were footnotes in each chapter, leading the reader to the specific primary source for her information.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable overview of several religions and many of their rites that should make each of us question the deficiencies in those who practice them.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable overview of several religions and many of their rites that should make each of us question the deficiencies in those who practice them.
December 1, 2013
This book by Stollznow is a fairly extensively research chapter by chapter focus on various U.S. religious movements, many of which have origins elsewhere but came to their modern identity in the States and Canada. Each chapter focuses on one group and ends with Dr. Stollznow's personal encounter with the group. If there is an organizational structure, it moves from "most questionable" to "most sympathetic" in Stollznow's view. Her particular focus on some of the problems of fundamentalist Mormons is enlightening as is her discussion of lesser understood groups like Quakers. The one chapter I felt had a weakness of focus was the "New Age" chapter, but that stems more from the vagueness of the concept as a whole more than fault of Stollznow.
March 13, 2014
A great introduction to some of the America's weirder sects and religions. Being somewhat of an aficionado of this sort of stuff, I'm already familiar with most of them -- particularly the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, Scientology, snake handlers and the like (and those seeking detailed information would be better to go to specific volumes such as Janet Reitman's or Lawrence Wright's volumes on Scientology, Jon Krakhauer's book on the FLDS, etc...). Perhaps the only featured group I was unfamiliar with was the American Church of Satan. Primarily, this is because I've always viewed the Satanists as marginal, unimportant, narcissistic, nutbags. Stollznow helped me confirm this prejudice.
('Read' as an audiobook, featuring the author's familiar voice from CFI/JREF podcasts.)
('Read' as an audiobook, featuring the author's familiar voice from CFI/JREF podcasts.)
January 18, 2015
I thought this was an enjoyable book. Its great for the layperson to familiarize themselves with a number the more bizarre religious groups in the United States. As someone who reads a lot about oddball sects and cults I wasn't flooded with new information, although I found out I was very misinformed about who the Quakers are. I thought the new age spirituality part could have been much shorter. I listened to the audio-book version so I really zoned out in that chapter. Although she dedicated the first chapter to the polygamist Mormon sects, I was surprised mainstream Mormons weren't given their own chapter. They are an interesting and characteristically very American group of believers in their own right.
November 19, 2015
I loved this, all the way up until the last chapter. She covered all of the crazy "faiths" and religions but chose to include Quakerism, which is neither a faith nor a religion! To make matters worse, she focused on Liberal Quakers, who are more secular and humanist than most atheists. Their only fault is being a part of a hypocritical organization that tends to schism rather easily. I felt as though she just wanted to talk about how she attended a silent service, more than she wanted to expose any questionable practices. I was very disappointed with the last chapter--hence only 4 stars.
October 13, 2016
Well, I started listening to it assuming it was going to be an unbiased report on "odd" religious habits in the US. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. It was about pointing out issues on certain religious habits, but with a lot more sensationalism than I expected. Unbiased opinion it certainly wasn't. And while it was ok in the beginning of the book, I found myself skimming faster and faster by the end. The final straw was the inclusion of "self-help" culture as new age religion. I guess I need to look up the definition of religion again.
April 9, 2018
As a tour among some of the more interesting religious and spiritual groups, sects, practices, and belief systems (Some, like the New Age are not even definable systems!) in the United States, their seemings and the facts behind them, I found this book to light the way to a better understanding of religion and quasi religion, and best of all, without the partisanship I find so often in books on religions written by those committed to another, often rival faith tradition. Very good.
August 26, 2016
Recently finished reading this book. Very interesting and sometimes disturbing look a modern day religious practices in the U.S. Most of it is objective observations and history, but I really enjoyed the authors anecdotes and experiences with the actual religions. My vote for the worst religion is Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, but the best was the Quakers, don't let the guy on the oatmeal box fool you!
July 12, 2016
Overall I found this an enjoyable and informative read. The author clearly has a bias against religion in general, though, which shows through at various times. Granted, though, many of the religions she covers in this book are pretty winged out and it can be hard to review them in an unbiased manner.
January 1, 2014
I really enjoyed some chapters, such as the ones on Mormons, Scientology and the Amish. But other chapters, such as the Voodoo and Satanism just felt like lists in sentence form - stories and anecdotes were missing altogether.
March 7, 2014
A romp around the most extreme religions in the US. Most of us know something about fundamentalist Christians, but how bout the Amish, or Scientology, or practitioners of Voodoo, or maybe you want the inside story on Quakers! This and more is found in the volume. Enjoyable and informative.
October 17, 2014
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's well researched, informative, and funny. I'm surprised by the occasional review that says this book is snarky. I thought the author's tone to be very sensitive and non-judgmental. I highly recommend this book to others.
December 19, 2014
listened to the audio version of the book. A journey through some of the different religions and religious cultures in America. Some of the chapters are frightening, others a tad ridiculous (like the ones on satanism).
February 14, 2015
This book is well-researched and is a good primer for those traders who are not familiar with the weirder of American religions, but I really wish Stollznow went in more detail. I would expect a more in-depth analysis from a Ph.D. Also, whatever happened to copyediting?
October 5, 2015
I read this for entertainment purposes, and it served well enough. It could have used a bit more editing -- the author tended to ramble. Also, I was disappointed that there was no discussion of the Mormons' golden d-ring binder.
January 2, 2015
Interesting and told with an engaging and bluntly honest voice.
March 15, 2014
Informative but I thought it was going to be better. Knew most of the information provided was hoping for a wider array of religions in the US. Felt like it stopped short.
April 8, 2014
Very we'll done, and fair treatment of the more obscure religious practices today in America.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews