God Loves the Autistic Mind
God Loves the Autistic Mind: Prayer Guide for Those on the Spectrum and Those Who Love Us by Fr. Matthew P. Schneider LC
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As an autistic Christian (specifically, Anglican/Episcopalian), I really relate to the story of Jesus, feeling throughout my life that I have been ostracized by every community I have ever been part of, including video game websites, the furry fandom, and even autistic communities, given my unique perspectives, to the point where I have even been backstabbed numerous times by others I had trusted. I eventually found through random searches this book written by autistic Catholic priest Father Matthew P. Schneider, a member of the Legionnaires of Christ, and gave it a look.
He rightfully notes that autistics tend to be treated like outsiders and indicates that the brains of every autistic are physically different from those of neurotypicals, proven by brain scans. Father Schneider then states that he was good at engineering but not in other areas and that autistics tend to be good at pattern recognition, which reminded me of my own strengths and weaknesses and ability to discern trends. He divides he book into several sections that elaborate on the ableism and neurobigotry of many churches, the advantages and disadvantages autistics have when they pray, and so forth.
The latter portion of the book he devotes to fifty-two meditations for autistics preceded by stories about specific autistic Christians. Overall, this was an enjoyable book that I could relate to, given that its author is an autistic priest, although specific resources for autistics of denominations other than Catholic would have been welcome. There are also maybe a few points with which I disagree with him, such as spreading one's faith to others, which I am reluctant to do given that I don't wish to force my beliefs unto others lest I get alienated, which I am no stranger to. Regardless, I don't regret reading it and recommend it to other autistic Christians.
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