BOOK TITLE:
Prayer of an Atheist AUTHOR: Bryan Keitsemang Available at: On request
REVIEWED BY: Keletso Thobega
When I first saw the title of this book I was initially reluctant to read it because of my own personal bias. It sounds like an oxymoron to have the words ‘prayer’ and ‘atheist’ in one sentence. Ha!
Issues of religion are also sensitive and touchy, much like issues of politics and money, and it is often a case of,“You don’t want to go there!”
Issues of faith and religion are so complex and once we start arguing we will talk until the cows come home.
I consider myself spiritually conscious and “woke,” and I don’t box my belief to dogma or religion because I believe that God is bigger than religion.
Despite having been raised as a Christian, I try my best to not limit my definition of faith and religion because it is all relative to each individual. Essentially, I believe in love, being giving, respectful and kind.
I find that people tend to put each other on a pedestal based on beliefs and faith and want to force their own beliefs on others,which is unfair. If your intentions are pure the Universe will shift to manifest your needs and desires. Energy is currency.
But knowing what a great orator and writer
Keitsemang is, I was curious to know his personal story about faith. An atheist raised as a Christian, Keitsemang’s memoir is an effective coming-of-age story. His a story of embracing vulnerability and reclaiming inner strength and resilience while not believing a god exists. In this memoir, he examines God in all his forms and sets down his arguments for atheism. Bryan asserts that he isn’t a theologian but an ordinary man who writes about his faith in mankind, truth, morality without god and breaking free from a belief in “a God that he inherited.”
I like that he writes in a brutal and frightening honesty, but he does not undermine God; there are no traces of blasphemy, he is simply taking us through his own dismantlement of idealisation he had of God and exploring the experiences that made him doubt the existence of God.
This book is well-written in simple language, and with an enthralling undertone and theme that forces you to step outside of your usual intellectual capacity, and introspect and think more deeply. I find that some people think that believing in God means that you will lead a perfect life. That is not true. Even if you believe in God, you will still face worldly problems. Even men and women of God are challenged. But these challenges make you wiser and more empathetic.After all, God never said that the weapons would not form, He said they would not prosper!
Keitsemang speaks candidly about the human condition; our fears, insecurities, inadequacies and our desire to manifest the life we want while also trying to understand ourselves, our experiences and make sense of the world around us.
He reflects a naked truth, that life is not easy - it is hard and selfish.And perhaps that is the most beautiful aspect of it all, how we weather the storm through life’s challenges with admirable resilience, and we are chiselled and transformed to being the best version of ourselves.
I absolutely loved this book -its a fast read; just 44 pages... But taking the journey of a young man finding himself on earth and having to transition to finding his own identity and making sense of the world was really heartwarming and awe-inspiring.
I also used to doubt God as child and hated going to church but when I was confirmed in 2000 and born again in 2010, some thing within me changed. God have saved me from so much crap in my life, and continues to bless me immensely and that is why I just can’t be detached from my faith. I pray for the atheists too - that they too may experience the greatness of having pure intentions, a joyful spirit and a happy heart!