The Shack question

I read it a long time ago and liked it. You have to have an open mind and enjoy it for what it is. who knows?

I loved it. It helped me to think about the holy spirit in a different light and it helped me to think about how I view tragedy. The scene where the holy spirit is weeding particularly touched me.

Such a painful storyline though.

I have read the book and the reviews and I'm now glade I did. This book is about one mans version of god. There are many people in the world that struggling with traggaty in there lives today including my self. And this book has made me think about what I believe in. I to struggle with church god and what is right what church is and how to think about all of this. So for me it made Sense. And yes I could see god as a motherly being if I were to meet god that would be what I would think of. Very caring and loving only a mothers love can do that. God can be what ever you think is a safe place to be and talk to so with that said read the book and enjoy it.

I read the book and was glad I did. I have been looking but had never found a religion or non-religion that I could relate to and accept. Young’s representation of the trilogy was something I could relate to much more than the more classic view. Their discussions led me to answers that I could work with to questions I have always had. I can see why some of you would really like the book and others of you take nothing from it. It is worth a read though. I am sorry so many of you thought the writing was bad. Young wrote this book as a gift for his children, and never meant it to be read outside of his family.

It spoke directly to my heart. My family also expierenced the tragic, violent and unexplainable loss of a young girl...I know firsthand of the darkest Gloom that shrouds a family after such a loss. OMG I cried through the whole book. It was inspiring and uplifting in so many ways. I am a Bible believing Christian and I don't believe it was blasphemous at all. It is a work of fiction, just one persons view of things. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Bravo!!!(less)

Absolutely loved it. Chose it for a book club read - fearful that it would get trashed in discussion - and yet, to my surprise, it touched everyone, even those who lack real spirituality in their lives... I was glad I chose it.

Loved it. Read it about a year ago. We need to open our minds. I think
this book did that.

For those putting "The Shack" down because it does not coincide with the Bible, that isn't the point of the book, and is no reason to hate it. The book was never meant to be a regurgitation of the Bible. It is a piece of FICTION that has a theme coinciding with the Bible and Christianity. "The Shack" certainly isn't an amazing book, but hating it simply because it contradicts the Bible is stubborn and close-minded. Look past the differences at the message that the author is trying to portray.

Like I said, the book isn't one of my favorite books of all time, (in fact, it's not even in my top 20) but I think some people need to be a little more open-minded and accept the fact that every book about Christianity isn't going to follow the Bible perfectly. As Angela said in the post above, we all have different views on what Christianity means and what heaven/God is. Just because this book doens't fit your mold, or idea, of what God and the religion should be does not mean that it is wrong. That's why it's fiction. It is meant to be subjective.

I'm totally 'jury's out' on the whole religion thing. I want to believe, I hope that there's a divine 'whatever'. This book wasn't really my thing and I wouldn't read it again and I wouldn't recommend it to a friend but I took it on board as an opinion, a position of faith. At the end of the day who am I to disrespect somebody's belief? Who am I to say that one version of faith is right and another is wrong? Personally if the stalwart of any faith/creed/body say 'don't read this, it's blasphemous, it's wrong, it's rubbish' then that seems like a good reason to take a look! I don't claim to have the definitive answers to anything - I wish I knew of someone/something who did, and would then clue the rest of us in in a less subtle way as we all seem to be getting different versions of the point- but one thing I do know is that we all need to get a little less steamed up over things like a book and focus on issues like a 2 year old child whose father was brutally murdered on a busy street in broad daylight by those who claim to uphold a faith and love their version of God.

This book was great! The leason on judgement really made me think.

I think this is a book that is very much needed today. I don't feel that it contradicted the Bible in any way. I don't think it was "blasphemous." I think it was a beautiful story depicting God's love.

I also feel that there were MANY lessons about faith, trust in God, forgiveness, judgement, our relationship with God, etc. I don't understand the extreme negativity that this book elicits in people, especially Christians.

Is it the lesson that we are all God's children, even if we are bad people? Is it that we need humans have for judgement and fairness? In other words, because we don't feel that this life is fair in judgement, that there MUST be fairness and judgement before we pass through those pearly gates?

I had someone ask me if I knew where I would go when I died. Without hesitation, I said I would be going to Heaven.
"Why?"
"Because Jesus died for my sins. He paid the price so that I would be free."
"So when you stand before the pearly gates, and God asks you why do you deserve to come in, what will you say?"
"I don't believe that he will ask me that."
"Of course He'll ask you that? He asks that of each of us!"

Really? How do we know what He'll ask us? My final response was that I believe there is not test to get in... when I arrive at those pearly gates, God or Jesus will be there with open arms and say, "Angela! Welcome home! We've been waiting for you and have your room prepared."

This guy I was having a conversation with looked at me like I had grown horns.

All the different Christian denominations have their own version of God. A friend of mine calls it the God Box. We each put God into a box that defines him for us. There are some denominations that believe in a vengeful God. Others in a judgmental God. Others teach a loving and forgiving God.

This man I was talking with was a new Christian. But he was convinced that he knew the Bible and what God expects from us. It was clear that he had chosen to buy the judgmental God. With so many different versions of God within Christianity, what drives our psyche to choose a judgmental God over a loving and forgiving God?

And with so many different versions of God within Christianity, how do we mere mortals know what really is true? That's the beauty of this book for me. It makes me question that which I thought I knew. I feel I have a better relationship with God after reading this book. I feel I have a more tolerant relationship with my fellow man after reading this book. I think this book has helped many questioning Christians rebuild their own faith. What's wrong with that?

I can't really understand why people are bitching so much about a book that is meant to give us "the something else" we don't actually get from facts that are considered real, or are supposed to guide us, as the bible. It gave me in few pages the faith I wasn't able to find in thousands of pages of the Bible. Inspiring, to say the least.

One of the worst books I have ever read. Don't think it was worth the stars that I gave!

Read it because of the rave reviews from others. I was sorely disappointed. It was a waste of my time!