Deleted থেকে Berryville, TX 75763, USA থেকে Berryville, TX 75763, USA

"A real disappointment. Like most religious fiction, this tells us that all of life is a mystery and gosh aren't we stupid for not figuring it out. It presents us with a real life tragedy and then presents us with a god who not only doesn't care but it busy turning the crime scene into a laughing stock. I really have to wonder how anyone can call this spiritual? It presents us with a divinity so out of touch as to be offensive. This could almost be a parody of progressive christianity written by an angry fundamentalist." I wrote this when I read the book before in August. However, our church is using it for a book study, and I am so hungary for talk of books that I am attending. So how knows, I may change my attitude about this book or I may hate it even more. I read it a second time, and while I do see that I have a point, I do find the characters representing the trinity aren't as uncaring as before. I did find the book much more interesting the second time around. Now I do have flaws in the book. You can't on the one hand praise man for his independence but then clearly state that such independence has to go if man is going to be a true believer. You can't have it both ways. I think that the author wants to needle conservative religious types, while at the the same time throw them a bone. If the world and universe depends on a love that is givin freely, than how can the giving involve giving up your independence? There does seem some problematical elements here. Not the least is that ultimatly, it isn't as much about believing but about how helpless we are in the face of everything, and how that helplessness does to some extent carry on through the heavens. Now theologically, the whole notion that God can't love us without Christ really ignores a lot of the Old Testament. Hasn't God always laid out the promise of forgiveness if you chose to follow the right path? "Old Testament" theology is really one of many myths that surround the Bible and makes people who have read it shake their head. I think that Jesus' message is this, that God loves us and wants and can save every soul. That is truly good news. So I did disagree with a lot of the theology of this book, but I think a good book shouldn't confirm you in what you believe, it should create a dialouge, make you defend and clarify your beliefs.