Just can’t believe it

Heather King, in her review of William Lobdell’s book “Losing My Religion” [“Living With a Hole in His Heart,” March 8], claims that perhaps Lobdell could have discovered that “conflict, uncertainty, paradox, doubt are the beginning of faith, not the end of it.”

Leaving aside her Sunday school condescension toward Lobdell’s intellectual process, the answer to King is, “well, maybe, if it’s all about going in circles.”

King has written a book about her own spiritual search and opted for one church’s particularly blood-spattered mythology as the right one for her. Unfortunately, she holds her intellectual regression and belief in ancient tribal gods (in her parlance, saints) as some kind of banner to display proudly, where in reality it’s the tattered remnant of dark, preliterate superstition.

I’m not sure why The Times so often seems compelled to treat reviews as rebuttals. King’s abdication of humanity for volcano gods, musty icons and refurbished myths of the redeeming, sacrificed hero would seem to make her an odd choice for a reviewer of a book written by someone who struggled so hard to find that ultimately, for better or worse, all we have is each other.

David Pabian

Los Angeles

It’s an article of faith for reviewer

I found King’s synopsis of Lobdell’s book interesting right up to the point Ms. King turned from book reviewer to preacher in her last three paragraphs, ending with a prayer, “May we all find some light . . . etc.”

I am not interested in King’s religious views. I would like to have read more William Lobdell’s. Why does his subtitle end with the phrase, ” . . . and Found Unexpected Peace”? In what way did Lobdell find “validation for his “dark night” in Mother Teresa? Why was the title of the review “Living with a hole in his heart”? There was no discussion of this “hole” in King’s review. I think the hole is in Heather King’s perception of the nature of unbelief.

Ed Carstens

Santa Clarita

Read the full article | Print this article