Opening the Doors of Wonder: Reflections on Religious Rites of Passage

"A wonderful, important book. Opening the Doors of Wonder will go far toward helping us understand one another. This is a much-needed venture in our post-9/11 age."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University

"It may be easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a spiritual seeker to enter a religious tradition with their psyche intact. Magida explores the varied processes of initiation among an eclectic cross-section of notables that include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. His lively portraits of transformation demonstrate both the losses and gains that come with the struggle to find religious meaning within a community. This book promises to stir up powerful memories and reframe the challenge of living faithfully within a world of competing, often conflicting religious claims."—Dr. Christopher M. Leighton, Executive Director of the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies

"Inside this wonderful book, renowned rabbis, zen priests, authors and even comics and cartoonists recall the religious rites of passage that have shaped their lives. Through the humor and pathos of their stories, we are offered a vital, very readable investigation of our society's current spiritual condition. I highly recommend Opening the Doors of Wonder. In whatever way you can, walk on through."—Wes Nisker, Buddhist meditation teacher, journalist, author of Essential Crazy Wisdom

"This fascinating book airs out a multitude of responses to a spiritual topic that we avoid at our peril—the presence (or lack) of rites of passage in modern America. Magida's style is often poetic, and his interviews reveal, often in surprising ways, how deeply, and often how invisibly, people of all faiths are influenced by religion's rituals and ceremonies. Moreover, they show how the failure or disappointment of our rites of passage can affect the way we deal with transition for the rest of our lives."—Phil Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage and Once and Future Myths