Generally speaking, I am fascinated by people who choose to follow their religion in a very fundamentalist way. That’s not to say that I agree with them, but I am always curious as to why they choose to follow the rules, often ancient and unsuited to the modern world, so closely.

A. J. Jacobs, an author from New York, decided to live by all 700 rules outlined in the Christian Bible for a year. The result is the book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. The book is due to be released in early October, and I’ve already reserved a copy at the library.

For a taste of Mr. Jacobs’ experience, check out this article: Biblical Living: Following Every Rule for One Year – Newsweek Beliefs – MSNBC.com. It is interesting to note that he is supportive of “cafeteria” religion, which is something Wicca is often accused of being. As he says, it is all about picking the right parts–compassion, mercy, gratefulness, etc.–all of which are important (dare I say key) aspects of Wicca.