This is, as I mentioned in my progress update, the first book I've read from start to end with religion as a primary motif. it was described to me as "unusual" by the good friend who recommended it, who also told me I "might find it interesting". Religion is nothing to me - I'm not an active declaimer but by the same token I hold a live and let live ideology. By that, I mean that i'm perfectly happy accepting other people's beliefs - if it is what they believe in. I must confess to great frustration when people come knocking at my door with biblical passages on their lips - I have no problem they believing in what soever they wish, as long as they don't attempt to force those beliefs unto me."a painful past doesn't mean a painful future; injustice doesn't mean no justice; and fear doesn't mean the absence of courage." I was therefore a little perplexed to find myself agreeing with passages such as that quoted above. Perhaps I had indeed set out, all-be-it subconsciously, to read with a closed eye. Perhaps only as a defensive measure - but closed nonetheless; and that's unfair. Any work deserves an open and unbiased read.So it was with a renewed sense of open-mindedness that I sat back downn to crack on, and started to enjoy the plot. Unexplained healings, kidnapping, emotional turmoil - ingredients for a thrilling book indeed.And it did seem to be going quite thrillingly. The twisted, deformed child seeking healing, the news anchor seeking closure for herself and a story for her viewers, the doctor seeking answers for the inexplicable and the pastor coming to realise his own sceptical nature.I should also have known it was too good to last..."He could pursue nothing between them as long as she refused to consider her need of Christ as her Lord."It's phrases such as this that shake my faith in the Humanity of those who are so devout. "Refused to consider", the wording reads. "Consider" in this context relates to the pursuit of a relationship, and so I can easily see why a firm Christian may choose to only form such a close, emotional bond with someone who shares their values in spiritual matters. my issue comes not from the decision made by the character, but by the attitude it proliferates. I may indeed choose only to have a relationship with one who believes as I do. If that attitude were to creep into my daily life - I'd never get anything done. Thus is the slippery slope as I perceive it, and a failing of many (though by no means a majority) of the believers with whom I associate.But back to the novel. I found it enjoyable as a story, and read it not for the religion but for the story itself. Naturally the climax was steeped in religious circumstance, which detracted a little. I'm afraid though I found it an interesting tale, it isn't opening me up to the one true way any time soon.
