Since "The Purpose-Driven Life" is a devotional, its lessons may well be irrelevant to a non-believer.

"By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture -- how all the pieces of your life fit together."

I don't see how that can have much relevance to somebody who doesn't believe in an external purpose.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I've marked the posts for when it's time to buy.

Also, apologies to those not interested in baby stuff for continously hijacking the thread. However, since I know so few people here with little kids, I really appreciate the input.

Gud, I can see why ou would feel awkward - you've mentioned feeling uncomfortable with church/religion before and my guess is that the book discussion would in reality be very much like a Bible study. Perfect for some, but not all.

Gud, I would feel awkward as well.

Gud, it makes perfect sense to me that you'd feel awkward/uncomfortable in that situation. I've been avoiding Bible studies for five years or so now, even though I am a believer, because it's tiresome being the heretic who always questions everyone's basic assumptions and argues with the text.

What. Susan. Said. Every word.

Is it just me or does it make sense that I might feel awkward in a chruch group studying "The Purpose Driven Life" when I don't believe?

Nope, not just you.

I got sent it as a sneak attack on my beliefs by a reseller I work with. It struck me as something I'd have found shallow when I was a Christian. As a pagan, it was pointless.

Cereal to clarify:

By "sneak attack," he didn't know my faith. Just somehow presumed I needed saving and that was the text that'd do it.

I'm totally jealous. First decent day we've had in several days and my neighbor is mowing his lawn. Ours is getting to be nearly knee-high. I'm expecting a letter from the city's bitch committee about it.

I wish I could go out and mow. Maybe it will still be nice when DH gets home so he or I can get out there and get the job done. We'll be needing a scythe instead of a mower, though.

Just somehow presumed I needed saving and that was the text that'd do it.

Unless I'm in a large body of water screaming "Save me, save me.", don't presume I need saving. And if I am, please throw a life ring at me, not The Good Book.

Is it just me or does it make sense that I might feel awkward in a chruch group studying "The Purpose Driven Life" when I don't believe? My wife seems to find it strange that I would feel awkward.

I understand why you might feel that way. Are the people in your church are reasonable sorts? Could you be honest about the fact that you do not believe? If you were to be honest, would they be respectful of that? When I studied it with a group, there was plenty of discussion over the premises or arguments that we did not automatically accept, etc., but I think everyone in the group at least believed there is some sort of a God who is probably at least somewhat like the generic picture of God we get from generic Christianity.

Part of me wants you to take it purely for my selfish reasons, so you can report back to me on what it's like to take it, if you're not a Christian, already. To cut your wife a huge amount of slack, she is *far* from the first person I have seen either using or touting PDL as an evangelism tool, and as someone who has taken the study, that it's used and even touted as such, puzzles me.

If you want to ask me any questions about it, my profile address is good. I'll spoil you silly for whole thing, if you like. Overall, I can say that I mostly liked it. Once I grasped the premise (pretty early on) though, it seemed somewhat elementary to me, and that disappointed me, a little. There's some what I think of as church-speak in it, which I think a lot of Christians use without thinking. Since Warren does aim this not only or even primarily at church goers, I found myself wishing he'd lose some of the church-speak. Also, at times, I wondered about Warren's choice of scriptures to support his points. I didn't find anything unscriptural about the points, themselves, just wondered sometimes, as the verses he chose to support them.

Are there any different groups at your church right now, Gud?