tell me all your thoughts on God

I just finished reading a novel and it's bugging me. That said, I'll give it credit for the fact that I finished it in about a week. Many books go unfinished due to lack of interest, or take me the full 3-week library checkout period to complete.

But, like a green potato chip, it's left an icky taste in my mouth. The plot was intriguing, the writing was.... well, the plot was intriguing.

The book is "Uncharted" by Angela Hunt. It's touted as a blend of Castaway and The Big Chill, with a touch of the television series Lost. But that's not really what made me pick it up. I have seen Castaway and really liked it, never seen The Big Chill, and I am one of the few people on the planet that has never watched a single solitary episode of Lost.

I'm not going to pick apart the plot and all that, but I was about halfway through it when I realized that there would be a message, and I suppose that's what kept me reading. Where was she going with this? I read some of the unfavorable reviews about it, and most of the reviewers were miffed about the fact that they felt duped into reading Christian literature without knowing it. Although I didn't know it at first either, that didn't bother me.

What bothers me is that, in the end, I didn't like the picture she painted of God. Now, I typically avoid getting religious or political here on the old blog, but I'm writing this now, I suppose, because of that green potato chip feeling.

So I'm not going to get all deep into my thoughts on God, but bottom line, I've been taught and have come to believe that God is a loving Father of all his children (us). He doesn't spoil us rotten, but allows us to experience this life including all the interwoveness of good/evil, happy/sad, rich/poor, etc., and to choose our own paths while always leaving the door open to us.

The God in "Unchartered" should have CPS called on him. Screw up once, even just a little, you're out. Don't show your face again. No prodigal sons and no fatted calves for you!

At the same time, though, it does prompt the readers to take a look at themselves and the congruency of their thoughts and actions, so for that it is useful. I'll give it 2 'tater chips out of 5.

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