Review: A Danger to God Himself by John Draper
“A Danger to God himself” is clearly written by a person seeking answers. The idea belongs to the bright mind of a man who’s trying to study the topic from different perspectives. You shouldn’t be afraid of John Draper trying to convince the readers that there is no God and all religious beliefs have something in common with mental illness. This book is a mild reminder that questioning things is natural for people whose mind is not totally blinded by the dogmas they’re living within. I could feel the interest of the author in the decease called schizophrenia while reading about Jared, the Mormon missionary, drowning deeper and deeper in his voices and illusions, which, of course, at first are interpreted as God’s messages. The second missionary Kenny begins to rethink his view of the world, although it must be pretty hard for him, being used to accepting everything unquestioningly. In fact, the novel becomes a bit confusing closer to the middle of the book, so I took a small break from it to digest the information I already received and to search for more. I visited the author’s blog (which I found in one of the reviews), and it became clear to me that Draper drew a parallel between himself and Jared. He himself lost his faith while writing this book and researching the Mormon Church on the one hand and the studies on schizophrenia on the other hand. So if you get lost in this novel at some moment, the author’s insight may help you. *I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review
