The Shack?

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tryingtofindhim

Guest
#1
#1
Has anyone read The Shack? That book really confused me about God. Anyone understand the book? I believe if was supposed to be an allusion(think thats the word?) I'm not sure I just ended up confused. I have read it 3 times and still not understanding the book. Anyone else read it and understand it?
 
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wwjd_kilden

Guest
#2
#2
I've read it and I loved it!

To me the illusion/ real thing wasn't really all that important. What mattered was the message (at least this is what I got from it):

- God IS with us, ALWAYS. We just don't seem to remember to "use" Him.
- We can talk to him like we would to a parent.
- Some things in life will hurt us, but God will help us through the pain
 
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iraasuup

Guest
#3
#3
I manage a Christian bookstore. If it were up to me, I would have this book taken off the shelves and I wouldn't stock it.

Evidently, it's not up to me.
 
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tryingtofindhim

Guest
#4
#4
iraasuup said:
I manage a Christian bookstore. If it were up to me, I would have this book taken off the shelves and I wouldn't stock it.

Evidently, it's not up to me.
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What is your reason?
 
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socperkins

Guest
#5
#5
I think this is one of those books that people either love or hate. I personally wasn't a big fan. The main character keeps having these revelations, which to me were common sense. I didn't like God's "personalities", and I wasn't able to get very emotionally involved in the story. I also didn't like the fact that the author sets it up to be a true story, which it isn't. I would say it's a good book for young Christians, but at the same time it's misleading, so I wouldn't recommend it. Does that make any sense?
 
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tryingtofindhim

Guest
#6
#6
socperkins said:
I think this is one of those books that people either love or hate. I personally wasn't a big fan. The main character keeps having these revelations, which to me were common sense. I didn't like God's "personalities", and I wasn't able to get very emotionally involved in the story. I also didn't like the fact that the author sets it up to be a true story, which it isn't. I would say it's a good book for young Christians, but at the same time it's misleading, so I wouldn't recommend it. Does that make any sense?
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Ya, that makes a lot of sense.
 
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tryingtofindhim

Guest
#7
#7
The one thing I liked is that God brought he peace through lots of hurt and I hope I will get to that point sometimes; I've been through a lot of hurt so I'm kind of doubtful that God will ever bring me comfort since its been so long. I am also a doubting person kind of like he was so I can relate kind of it just all was so fast and confusing. I hope that made sense.
 
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MaggieMye

Guest
#8
#8
Has anyone read The Shack? That book really confused me about God. Anyone understand the book? I believe if was supposed to be an allusion(think thats the word?) I'm not sure I just ended up confused. I have read it 3 times and still not understanding the book. Anyone else read it and understand it? First of all you MUST remember that 'The Shack' is FICTION!! It is, in fact quite heretical in most of its scenarios. The one thing, IMO, that it does do well is to portray the CHARACTER of God as loving, forgiving, wise and kind. Rather than read something that confuses you and IS FICTION, spend that time in the TRUE word of God. And throw the book away. It's done more damage to God's reputation than many outright wicked books. It portrays all three...Holy Spirit, God and Jesus as having human characteristics....including emotions and temperaments...some of which do NOT represent Truth about Himself.
Hope that helps.
Maggie
Please understand that God DOES manifest Himself in a variety of ways to many people. Mostly through His word, His 'still small voice' and many other ways found in scripture. But He NEVER manifests as anything that would go against His written Word...such as portraying Himself as a woman or Christ as an antic-, prank-playing young adult. God is HOLY at all times.​
 
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tryingtofindhim

Guest
#9
#9
oh ok I understand :)
 
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sgreenlee92

Guest
#10
#10
The Shack

Has anyone read this book? And if so what are your thoughts on its content? I much like its thoughts on religion and am just wondering what others think.
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#11
#11
Re: The Shack

sgreenlee92 said:
Has anyone read this book? And if so what are your thoughts on its content? I much like its thoughts on religion and am just wondering what others think.
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I read the book and enjoyed it. I did not fully agree with the concept and I realized the plot fairly early in the book. As it was a dream sequence, I was okay with the characterizations of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Good fiction and somewhat thought provoking. I am not sure how it would come across to a non-believer but anything that will get people thinking about God serves a purpose.
 
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sgreenlee92

Guest
#12
#12
Re: The Shack

The concept is what is driving me wild. The part that said God created the Ten Commandments so that you may fail at them and then realize you need to rely on God really got my mind going. It makes sense.
 
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sgreenlee92

Guest
#14
#14
Re: The Shack

Thank you!!
 
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sgreenlee92

Guest
#15
#15
How can you say he would not portray himself as a woman or a prank-playing young adult? Did Jesus not get left at the temple as a young adult because he wandered off? Why couldn't he portray himself as those? And second God is love, God shows love, God is kindness. Those are emotions. He is emotion or more as he's the reason you have emotions because he gives them to you. Since he is the one that created emotions why would he not posses the emotions he gives? And why would God not have human characteristics? Sure he is God but we were created in his image as humans. Why would he not have human characteristics when he created us in his image?
 
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glenwood74

Guest
#16
#16
Re: The Shack

I really wonder why this book is so completely offensive to some Christians. Yes it is fiction about our God, but what are we a bunch of muslims who can't imagine an artistic, or emotional side to our Deity?

I have read it; I loved it; It did not effect my relationship with Christ; It wasn't heretical because it is fiction; Something cannot be deemed heretical unless it is claiming to be divine doctrine or scripture; Ideas about God's true nature can be heretical, but a fictional story with God as a character is not claiming anything as scripture and therefore is not heretical. I am a Holy Spirit filled believer in the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, and I did not have a problem with "The Shack".

I'm curious as to some of the other arguments, though. What are some of the other critiques besides heresy?
 
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wwjd_kilden

Guest
#18
#18
Re: The Shack

I agree very much with glen
 
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1still_waters

Guest
#19
#19
Re: The Shack

I'm merging this in to the shack thread we already had going.
 
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glenwood74

Guest
#20
#20
That is an interesting video Phil, and perhaps I should rethink maybe recommending the book to a baby Christian, but a couple things that the anti-shack dude says that I disagree with are, 1. God the Father has appeared in the physical, or who did Moses see on mount Sinai, and who did Jacob wrestle with? 2. Jesus said 'who has seen Me has seen the Father.' that scripture to me makes Them equal and makes Them one. 3. the book definitively declares that God is not a woman or a man, so it does not promote Goddess worship. 4. A graven image is carved, etched, or sculpted by definition.

I have not been to seminary and I am not theologically educated, but I do have a sense of who God is, and what He finds as detestable and abominable from my reading of the scriptures and my relationship with the Spirit. I am not in spiritual authority over anyone, but as a layperson and a self proclaimed Christian man, I still do not see any harm in the Shack. It was a fun, emotional read, that does not try to alter the immensity of the Father, or the salvation of Jesus. I am not saying that it made me think any differently about God, but it did make me feel something for the characters in the book, which just so happened to be God. Our God is bigger than the Shack and in our futile attempts to control our theology perhaps a book of fiction could suspend all reasoning and cause us to fear, but I worship the Creator of the universe, and there is no little work of fiction going to tear Him down.

One more thing about the video that bothered me for some reason....the sign in the background read, 'What should Christians believe?' Who are we as fallible human beings to determine what Christians should believe? It sounds once removed from the inquisition to me. We have no right to tell anyone what they should believe....that is between them and their God, and we should stay out of it. We should minister and confess Jesus with love and passion, but we should never tell anybody what they should believe. Who are we? The Nazis?
 
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