'Strait is the Gate' & 'The Violent Bear It Away'

There's something about religion that inspires so much.
Whether we'd like to admit it or not (many atheists would like to think they're immune), there is an allure to faith and religion.

For artists, it's inspired generation after generation of writers, painters, sculptors and musicians. Frankly, without religion, Flannery O'Connor might have become a bus driver.

Instead, she became a pretty devout Catholic, but still wrestled with some inner questions and doubt that oozes out of her characters and stories.

To me, that's what religion is all about: Not necessarily believing, but questioning. The acceptance of the idea that there's some form of higher power, that there's something behind this universe is just as much doubt and question than it is belief. Without one, you don't have the other. I enjoy O'Connor's stories immensely due to her awareness that there's a dark side to everything and the minute there isn't question, there won't be a belief.

Ironically, Andre Gide's books -- including the incredibly sweet "Strait is the Gate" -- was placed on the Roman Catholic Church's List of Prohibited Books.