Homeless in Saint Louis and Sleeping in Churches

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Homeless in Saint Louis and Sleeping in Churches

America, "where the streets are paved with gold" and everyone is free to practice his or her religion without persecution. Sanja Ljutic, an immigrant from Bosnia, found herself in the land of opportunity with no opportunities. Sanja and her mother came to the United States in 1997, hoping to escape the war in Bosnia and the persecution so many people had to endure. Homeless in Saint Louis and Sleeping in Churches is a chronological account of Ljutic's journey through religious America and her personal observations of what she found.

"After 12 years I have decided to stop fighting for steady job and friends and spend time on the street where I have felt I belong," wrote Ljutic. "This book comes from my experience on the street and incorporates some of my previous life experiences. This book is not just about American religion. It is about religion and how it affects or even attacks everyday life, and it is about my life experiences in America."

Ljutic's time on the streets was mostly spent going from church to church. She spent time in the common rooms, talking to people from the church and some of the homeless people. The book was full of pictures of the people who she came into contact with and stories about the people she met and the places she stayed. In some of the churches, Ljutic felt very out of place. The people in these institutions talked to her about God, Jesus and Christianity. Coming from a cultural Muslim background, this was very different for her. She was very surprised by some of the beliefs she learned about.

"I like Sister Stephanie," wrote Ljutic. "It is great thing to help people. Later when we talked, she showed me a ring. Inside the ring was written that Jesus loves her. It was a real engagement ring. She is married to him, she told me. Why would she adopt symbol of a real civil marriage into her religious thought?"

One thing that was very unsettling for Ljutic was the notion that God or Jesus made decisions for people, and people were not responsible for their own actions or sins. She did not understand this reasoning and her reaction to it was to question it and reject it.

"I did not like this way of reasoning and inside of me everything was screaming against such way of thinking," wrote Ljutic. "It was screaming inside of my heart. My reaction was surprising me too. Usually I am more tolerant. For me this is a killer of every civilized society especially European progressive thought. God is man's creation. Relying on that creation gives these people the ability to manipulate everything. And to not take responsibility for it. They are giving responsibility to God for everything they do."

Ljutic's impression of Christianity in America was that this was a crusade; one that separates the different religions and holds one religion above the others. This was not the experience she expected having grown up in Europe where religion is viewed very differently and did not have the impact it seemed to have in America.

"I know these people are making crusades possible," wrote Ljutic. "They are dividing people and making differences, fights, and hatred possible by promoting Bible study and believing in fighting and Christ and keeping the Bible alive same with Muslims in Middle East."

Interspersed throughout the book were some very detailed descriptions of the history and architecture of many of the churches Ljutic visited, along with the websites for each church. Since this was a chronological account there were also some very interesting news facts peppered throughout. Anyone interested in history, architecture or the differences in religious beliefs will find this book of interest.