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I explored a lot about the laws versus grace in the second part of the book because I know that most Christians believe that Jesus' death nullified many of the laws.

Were there any laws that only made sense to you when you did them?

A lot of them, once you start doing them they start to have meaning. For instance the Sabbath, that was a big one for me because I would gladly work through the weekend. But here I was forced to take a break and reflect and spend time with my family. And it became a beautiful thing and I think everyone should do it.

One that really changed me was praying. As an agnostic and a totally secular person, I had never prayed before. As I said in the book, I never said "Lord" without following it with "of the Rings." And for the first time I was trying to say the word "Lord" earnestly and with purpose. It was strange to me and very uncomfortable in the beginning.

But I came to love two types of praying in particular. I became an extreme thanker. I'd be thanking that this phone works and that you seem like a nice person and all this sort of thing. It's a weird way to live, but it's also great because you start to realize the 100 little things that go right every day, as opposed to the three or four that go wrong.

The other kind of praying I liked was for other people—sick relatives or friends or those in need. I don't even know if those are actually effective, that they will help a person get better, but it's good nonetheless. I compare it to moral weight training. Because it's 10 minutes a day when you can't think of yourself or your own petty problems, you're forced to think about others, so it makes you a better person.

I decided to take the commandment against graven images to the extreme, so I made no graven images and took no photographs for the year.

You write that you're now a reverent agnostic. Do you think you are/were missing anything in not being religious?

It was fascinating to see how my behavior affected my thoughts, how the outer affected the inner. So almost by pretending to be a better person, I sort of became a better person. Which is sort of what cognitive psychology says. Fake it till you make it, the ethical version.

I do feel that there was lots and lots in religion and the biblical way of life that has enriched my life.

To give my son some basis in religion, if he turns into an atheist or a religious person, either way, I'll be happy as long as he's a good person. But I decided to give him a base in religion so that he can make the decision himself. We did join a temple. And we send him to Hebrew school.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The Year of Living Biblically is available from Amazon.com and other retailers.

A. J. Jacobs' website has more on the book, including an excerpt about the progress of his beard.

Books & Culture and Al Hsu reviewed the book.

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November (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51