Sunday, June 24, 2007

A Funny Thing Happened In A Redding Bookstore...

While my wife was enduring a 6 hour state teacher's exam yesterday in Redding...I went shopping (I can't remember if we've ever had that kind of role reversal in 20+ years of marriage!). Of course, as a friend pointed out, where I shop and where she shops are two (actually several) entirely different places. But to the point....

After a cup of coffee at Starbucks, I went straight to Barnes & Noble and did some book shopping...I picked up a copy of Karen Armstrong's The Great Transformations: The Beginnings of Our Religious Traditions (I'm a big fan of Armstrong) and From So Simple a Beginning: The Four Great Books of Charles Darwin, edited by E.O. Wilson.

I was perusing the science section, which happened to be located near one of their information kiosks. A customer came up, with a teenager in tow, and said something to the effect, "I'm looking for this new book....something about religion and God, I believe the author's name is Hitchens...."

"Oh", the employee responded, "You're looking for God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens...yes we have a few left right over here"...

I smiled to myself and then continued to look at the science titles. About 10 minutes later, another customer came up..."Where can I find God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens?". A few minutes later I saw the clerk directing another customer to Hitchens's book. Remembering that I hadn't bought my own copy as yet, I hurried over to the section and picked one up before they were all taken!

I had an opportunity to read the first two chapters in the parking lot later (waiting for my wife to finish her exam). The first thought I had was not about leaving organized religion, but what took me so long?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amen, brother. . .