What is God ? by Etan Boritzer

This is one of the books in our home that we are always replacing because someone has borrowed it, and it never makes it back to us. For parents struggling with the complicated task of explaining God, our friends are relieved to have it as a resource. It is a useful, gentle introduction to the concept of religions and spirituality. By balancing information from several religions, and naming the "teachers" of these religions, it opens the door for conversations about what different faiths share. Religions share the concept that "you should be good to other people, just like you would want other people to be good to you". It then acknowledges that these are only some of the religions people believe in. There are others. One strength of the book is that it ASKS QUESTIONS and says MAYBE. The concepts are ideas and possibilities, and you can agree or disagree. So it is a good model for discussion and an exchange of ideas. The universalist approach to religion, "God is everything great and small!...All of us are God!" ,may not appeal to some readers. In our family we use it to discuss the connectedness of all people, all families.
I hesitated putting this up as a book for teachers, if teachers are not allowed to discuss religious topics in their classrooms. I have used it with secondary students to exemplify questioning and holding a open mind to ideas.
Lauren --Secondary Teacher