Well I haven't digested "Life Eaters" as of yet, so strictly speaking I cannot render an opinion of my own other than what I have formulated based on the many a dissertation of other people. What I can render however (though it goes against db's opinion<the opinion of the WRITER>) is my understanding of the writer/reader relationship in relation to "Life Eaters" and the "irksome Amazon comment".
The beauty of the written word is that people can draw their own conclusions, their own interpretations. They can read between the lines of what someone has written and come up with an entirely different point of view than what the author had intended.
Does this mean that the reader is wrong?
Of course not! The readers' point of view is just as valid as that of the authors; that's the beauty of it all.
Now I understand that this blurs the line of the topic being discussed. Especially since db vehemently denies that "Life Eaters" is an anti-religion polemic. However this doesn't mean that the reviewer is completely wrong. It's just his/her opinion of some notions picked up whilst reading the book. If those notions are there for a reader to find, it's only logical that the reader will extrapolate on them in their mind, in order to efficiently "read between the lines". And while religion is embedded in this discussion, let me say this: if people didn't draw their own conclusions on religion; conclusions that were entirely different from what the propagating person/people intended, then we wouldn't have as many religions (though they serve no purpose other than moral institutions) that are so close to so many people's hearts. The same goes for our collectively beloved literature.
-Travis "who would challenge the god's themselves" Edmunds.
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