Book 27

The Shack by William P. Young

Type: Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

My rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Why I chose it: When I was in the 6th grade at a Catholic grade school my teacher (a Sister/Nun) was telling the class that if you weren't Catholic and you didn't go to church on Sunday you would go to hell. Being so young and curious and naive, I guess, I asked the very smart Sister what if we (Catholics) were wrong about our God and our beliefs and the Buddhists or Hindus were right, would we then go to hell? I was told by the now really angry Sister that I was possessed by the Devil and was thrown out of the classroom. And so my intellectual curiosity was sparked and thus began my life's journey to understand who God is and what role religion plays in our lives. Since this book has over 1 million copies in print I was curious as to why others found this book interesting.

What I liked about it: At the end of chapter 12, Mack (the main character) asks Jesus, "Is that what it means to be Christian?" Jesus replies to Mack, "Who said anything about being a Christian? I'm not a Christian." He continues, "Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don't vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous. Some bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians. I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved."

Another very thought-provoking exchange occurs earlier in Chapter 12 when Mack and Jesus discuss religion and institutions. Mack asks, "What about the institution of marriage?" Jesus responds, "Marriage is not an institution. It's a relationship. Like I said I don't create institutions; that's an occupation for those who want to play God. So no, I'm not too big on religion and not fond of politics or economics either. And why should I be? They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about. What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"

There was something about the marketing of the book that turned me off a bit. The little checklist in the back on how to help them sell more books was a bit cheesy. A good book should be able to stand on its own and not have to be backed by a marketing machine to sell a lot of copies. I do think this is a pretty good book overall.