The two things I found most disturbing about it, aside from the obvious blasphemous disregard for
Exodus 20:4 and Romans 1:23 among other similar scriptures, was 1; the character that the author attributed to God. As far as the author is concerned God is a benevolent wishy washy philosopher that after creation just lost control of the whole mess, mostly because of mans free will, and is now just hoping that people will turn to Him (or her, the big African American lady according to the author), because He has so much He wants to share with us.........but its got to be our choice, you see He loves us so much that He'll allow us to make the wrong choice and be separated from Him forever. Yes, Young has God, His son the middle eastern carpenter, and the Holy spirit Asian girl as ineffectual bystanders in an ongoing soap oppera that They have no control over.
2; The whole suggested depravity of Christ (the Arab/Jewish carpenter guy), which unfortunately I can see millions of Christians just lapping it up and loving it. I'll try and explain as best I can in words. There's a scene depicted where Mack (the Central character) is with Jesus in a garden. Mack's daughter has been snatched and supposedly murdered by a serial child killer a few years prior to this whole Shack experience. Jesus shows Mack another garden where his surviving children are playing with his murdered daughter, perfectly happy together. He obviously breaks down at the sight of his murdered daughter. He's then met by some kind of force field when he tries to call her and go to her, some kind of shield separating this world from the world Christ is showing Mack. Mack is allowed to see her, but not speak to her or touch her. Its suggested that this place where she is is heaven, and the other kids are there because they are dreaming about her (another blasphemy, apparently we can visit heaven in our dreams). Then someone calls her, its Jesus, and she runs to him and jumps into his arms, and then the vision goes away and its just Mack and Jesus alone again in the garden. In the sick and twisted mind of the author, Mack is so happy that she is where she is, and tells Jesus he loves Him.
Does anyone else see how sick this scenario is? Just think of it in terms of orthodox theology if you can for a moment. This poor tortured man is shown his daughter in heaven with Jesus, playing with his surviving kids. But wait, he might not make it to the party, nor his kids, or his wife. There's still a chance they could all go to hell forever. What about her uncles and aunts, her grand parents, her potential nephews and nieces, what about her friends in nursery school? Do they all make it to the party? Not according to orthodox Christians they wont, at least not all of them.
And, another twist to this that occurred to me. Here's Christ showing this man his daughter in a place he can't get to yet, and she is fully conscious and aware of being without her parents, and she gets a visit from her brothers and sisters if they happen to dream about her. Its sick depravity. She has to wait for mummy and daddy and the rest of her family to die before she can be with them again. Nice old place this heaven they've invented don't you think? (sarcasm intended). This kind of foolish theology makes God to be doubly depraved. Heaven is full of Children without any parents, but they got this Jewish carpenter guy in a lumberjacks outfit (did I mention He's dressed like He's in the village people? He is according to the author) to look after them until mummy and daddy die, kind of like a cresh for dead kids. While down on earth you got these tortured families that know where their dead kids are, but they can't get to them yet. So, God is actually holding them against their will......great, the Christian God is a kidnapper. And, don't you get thinking that you'll see them one day anyway, cuz you might just miss the party and go to hell, which means the dead children will be forever orphaned being looked after by the Jewsh carpenter guy in the village people outfit. I think Ray would add here "Its insane".
The reality is, to anyone unfortunate enough for this to have happened to, is that she's dead, she knows nothing, she will be resurrected with her family together and they will be all in all, after any judgement that takes place.
That factual scriptural scenario gives me far more comfort as a bereaved older brother and son, than all this Christian mumbo jumbo that's in this idiotic book.
Sorry for the rant, but this stuff gets me hot.
David