The only two people who thought it was a good idea to publish my first book were my husband and my editor. Everyone else advised me to keep quiet. They predicted scorn and stoning, or at the very least silence and backs turned. One boss thought I could not continue in my job as a journalist. She got another job before publication, I continued in my position, but why all the anxiety? What was so transgressive in my debut book that it could have cost me my job, my reputation, my family, my friends? And did that happen?
Not met with anger
To start with the last one first. Nothing directly bad has happened to me because of my book. Only a few people have said derogatory words directly to me. Several have probably had them on the tip of their tongue or gossiped about me without my knowledge. But only a few have spoken bad words to me. On the contrary, 10 years later, I am still being greeted with what has since been dubbed a promise storm of letters, emails, flowers, chocolates, gifts and hugs by the thousands. Its success is completely out of proportion to anything anyone expected, and it’s not because the book is brilliant or that I am.
Recognize yourself
It comes because readers recognize themselves in the book. Thank you for giving me voice, writing and saying this and that, and I quickly found out that I’m not as alone in the world as I thought when Informations Forlag published “I met Jesus – confessions from a reluctant believer” on January 30, 2015. Two years later, Gyldendal published the next book, “Vi mødte Jesus – og hvad kommer det andre ved”. In it, I document in classic journalistic fashion that, according to Pew Research Center and others, about half of us in Western countries have experiences that we ourselves call religious, spiritual, spiritual or even close contact with God.
Still only a few come forward
Even though it’s so common, the taboo and scorn is great. Far, far too much. And still is. Not a day goes by that I don’t get a message or something thanking me from someone who has had a similar experience or an email that it has been used by a researcher who is relieved that my name is out there so they can find me. Others don’t want to come forward. I’ve met over a quarter of a million people at my lectures, so while what I conclude may not be statistically valid, it’s probably as close as it currently gets.
Families reject
It’s not the norm for people to help each other live with experiences. Almost everyone who writes and talks to me about their life experiences tells me how they’ve been patronized when they’ve shared what happened to them. Many have been told that they were, if not insane, then close to it. And that by their close family. Then they didn’t dare or have the courage to tell anyone else. These experiences rarely tell you directly what to do, but for me, as for many others, they became an opportunity to take parts of life seriously that I would not otherwise have dealt with.
Choosing not to get them
Having experiences is not something some people choose to have, but it is part of being human. None of us can avoid being close to someone who has met an angel, sensed a divine presence or seen a light around a dying person. It’s a condition we have to help each other live with. We need to get much better at it.
