Comments on: The Shack – Responses Part II http://windrumors.com/2007/07/the-shack-responses-part-ii/ The Official Site of Paul Young, author of The Shack Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:17:05 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: maryarnold03 http://windrumors.com/2007/07/the-shack-responses-part-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-2714 maryarnold03 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:50:11 +0000 http://www.windrumors.com/index.php/2007/07/26/the-shack-responses-part-ii/#comment-2714 How is the movie developing?? We would love to see it come out. How is the movie developing?? We would love to see it come out.

]]> By: Terri http://windrumors.com/2007/07/the-shack-responses-part-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-835 Terri Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:59:17 +0000 http://www.windrumors.com/index.php/2007/07/26/the-shack-responses-part-ii/#comment-835 Do the answers to our questions ever bring true satisfaction? I know that I have had many of my questions answered over time, and all it brought me was more questions. It was only when I truly asked myself the question of do I want answers or do I want truth, that Truth finally met me. He was the answer that no question could ever satisfy. Seems like we can demand answers to every question posed about God, but unless we give Him the opportunity meet with us and speak with us, our questions will simply go on unanswered. Do the answers to our questions ever bring true satisfaction? I know that I have had many of my questions answered over time, and all it brought me was more questions. It was only when I truly asked myself the question of do I want answers or do I want truth, that Truth finally met me. He was the answer that no question could ever satisfy.
Seems like we can demand answers to every question posed about God, but unless we give Him the opportunity meet with us and speak with us, our questions will simply go on unanswered.

]]> By: Lorna http://windrumors.com/2007/07/the-shack-responses-part-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-834 Lorna Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:40:58 +0000 http://www.windrumors.com/index.php/2007/07/26/the-shack-responses-part-ii/#comment-834 God exists because this beautiful world and everything in it could not have just popped up by chance; there had to be a creator! God made man in his own image and Eve as a help meet for the man. He made the garden with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the snake made that sound like a 'good' thing. God must have known that would happen and the reason has to be that God gave mankind free will to choose. I wonder about the difference in the God of the old testament and the God of the new testament, and also wonder why many gospels were omitted from the Bible, but would rather understand God's purposes than church politics. Surely God as the father and creator would want all his children to find their way to him; even those who can't read or indulge in theological argument. People tend to make everything more complicated that it is. God is as superior to man as man is superior to his dog. There's no way to understand him unless he wants us to. Lorna God exists because this beautiful world and everything in it could not have just popped up by chance; there had to be a creator! God made man in his own image and Eve as a help meet for the man. He made the garden with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the snake made that sound like a ‘good’ thing.

God must have known that would happen and the reason has to be that God gave mankind free will to choose.

I wonder about the difference in the God of the old testament and the God of the new testament, and also wonder why many gospels were omitted from the Bible, but would rather understand God’s purposes than church politics.

Surely God as the father and creator would want all his children to find their way to him; even those who can’t read or indulge in theological argument.

People tend to make everything more complicated that it is. God is as superior to man as man is superior to his dog. There’s no way to understand him unless he wants us to.

Lorna

]]> By: Ed Criswick http://windrumors.com/2007/07/the-shack-responses-part-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-833 Ed Criswick Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:18:26 +0000 http://www.windrumors.com/index.php/2007/07/26/the-shack-responses-part-ii/#comment-833 AS AN ATHEIST - but one who is really interested in religion and its personal and societal effects on people - I was drawn to read the book by recommendations of some Christian friends of mine - it was a considerable topic of conversation on our recent French skiing trip. I have to admit I found the literary framework a bit irritating - that someone could claim to recall such complex conversations in sufficient logical detail to relate them to someone else to turn into a book is a device which lacks credibility; no doubt the author had his reasons for the device, but it strikes me that a more linear storytelling would have served his purpose better. But the important stuff is, of course, in the meat of the story. I found it a thoughtful and well-argued exposition of the 'Why does God allow such horrors' train of thought and put forward some convincing argumentation to allow people to continue to take comfort in their belief and reconcile themselves to the bad stuff that happens in their lives. And I liked the linked arguments for proffering forgiveness to those who you believe have offended you in some way. All in all, a useful and well-written junior high school guide to Christian theology, and I found it well worth reading. It's a pity that some of the BIG questions that Mack would inevitably have asked were sidestepped: - Why pick on me (ie how many others get this special treatment)? What about all those left to suffer alone - doesn't God love them too? - At what point did the eternal and unchanging God change his mind and decide to become a trinity? There is only one God in the Old Testament; suddenly there are three?! - There is no discussion of the interesting dichotomy between the Old & New Testaments, ie God of Wrath, Anger and Revenge vs God of Love & Forgiveness (although more modern Jewish writings stress the loving and forgiving nature of Jahweh, clearly moving Judaism away from the figure depicted by the Old Testament prophets). Similarly, the stress between the 'Eye for an Eye' philosophy and the 'Turn the Other Cheek' one. Perhaps this would have taken us onto the shifting sands of who actually wrote the New Testament, and why so many gospels were omitted by the church powers of the fourth and fifth centuries. - And finally, of course, if God knew that humankind was going to be disobedient and choose 'independence', with the concomitant 'sacrifices' required of God, doesn't this call into question God's original design template for humans - ie why build such a flawed creation. Doesn't say much for God's perfection. Perhaps these issues could be explored in a follow-up, in which case I would read the argumentation with great interest. Thank you for having written this book, and thank you to anyone who bothered to read this. Enjoy life! Ed - AS AN ATHEIST – but one who is really interested in religion and its personal and societal effects on people – I was drawn to read the book by recommendations of some Christian friends of mine – it was a considerable topic of conversation on our recent French skiing trip.
I have to admit I found the literary framework a bit irritating – that someone could claim to recall such complex conversations in sufficient logical detail to relate them to someone else to turn into a book is a device which lacks credibility; no doubt the author had his reasons for the device, but it strikes me that a more linear storytelling would have served his purpose better.
But the important stuff is, of course, in the meat of the story. I found it a thoughtful and well-argued exposition of the ‘Why does God allow such horrors’ train of thought and put forward some convincing argumentation to allow people to continue to take comfort in their belief and reconcile themselves to the bad stuff that happens in their lives. And I liked the linked arguments for proffering forgiveness to those who you believe have offended you in some way. All in all, a useful and well-written junior high school guide to Christian theology, and I found it well worth reading.
It’s a pity that some of the BIG questions that Mack would inevitably have asked were sidestepped:
- Why pick on me (ie how many others get this special treatment)? What about all those left to suffer alone – doesn’t God love them too?
- At what point did the eternal and unchanging God change his mind and decide to become a trinity? There is only one God in the Old Testament; suddenly there are three?!
- There is no discussion of the interesting dichotomy between the Old & New Testaments, ie God of Wrath, Anger and Revenge vs God of Love & Forgiveness (although more modern Jewish writings stress the loving and forgiving nature of Jahweh, clearly moving Judaism away from the figure depicted by the Old Testament prophets). Similarly, the stress between the ‘Eye for an Eye’ philosophy and the ‘Turn the Other Cheek’ one. Perhaps this would have taken us onto the shifting sands of who actually wrote the New Testament, and why so many gospels were omitted by the church powers of the fourth and fifth centuries.
- And finally, of course, if God knew that humankind was going to be disobedient and choose ‘independence’, with the concomitant ’sacrifices’ required of God, doesn’t this call into question God’s original design template for humans – ie why build such a flawed creation. Doesn’t say much for God’s perfection.
Perhaps these issues could be explored in a follow-up, in which case I would read the argumentation with great interest.
Thank you for having written this book, and thank you to anyone who bothered to read this.
Enjoy life!

Ed
-

]]>