# 'The Shack'



## Rondah (Apr 1, 2008)

Has anyone read this? It was ummm interesting. I read about half of it then used it as a tug toy for my dogs


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Thanks for the review...I work as a merchandiser for books, and they sent in about a million of these...Iwondered if it was worth reading
every time I see "The Shack", I mentally say "The love Shack"....I just cant help it


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## Rondah (Apr 1, 2008)

beaglebiz said:


> Thanks for the review...I work as a merchandiser for books, and they sent in about a million of these...Iwondered if it was worth reading
> every time I see "The Shack", I mentally say "The love Shack"....I just cant help it


It's huge right now, everyone is reading it  I thought it was weird and arrogant and so pc I wanted to puke. The author puts the protagonist in a 'Shack' to spend the weekend with the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The 'Father' is a huge black woman, the 'Son' is a Muslim man, and the Ghost is an Asian woman. I almost vomited on the PC'ness of it.


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

Rondah said:


> Has anyone read this? It was ummm interesting. I read about half of it then used it as a tug toy for my dogs


That says volumes....


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I read it.

Actually read it a couple of times 

and then purchased a few copies to give as gifts.

I found nothing in it 'arrogant'. A bit different view of the Holy Trinity.


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## menollyrj (Mar 15, 2006)

I would also characterize it as interesting. While I don't agree with some of the theology, I did appreciate the emphasis on relationship with God. It also attempts to answer the age-old question of, "Why does a good God allow bad things to happen?"

It made me think, which is a useful thing. I wouldn't recommend it for a new convert; rather, I think it is for someone who has reached a plateau in their faith walk. The theology is often "PC," as Rondah said, rather than Biblical.

FWIW...

-Joy


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I too enjoyed the book several times and recommend it highly. When God took the form of a black woman, I don't remember the black woman as being huge, I thought she was shorter than man, the Holy spirit was portrayed in the form of an asian woman, but I assure you God's son was not portrayed as a Muslim lol!


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## Rondah (Apr 1, 2008)

vicker said:


> I too enjoyed the book several times and recommend it highly. When God took the form of a black woman, I don't remember the black woman as being huge, I thought she was shorter than man, the Holy spirit was portrayed in the form of an asian woman, but I assure you God's son was not portrayed as a Muslim lol!


LOL! Maybe he was Indian? I don't remember, either which way, it was ridiculous imo. I didn't 'care' about the race thing, except that it felt like aggressive pc swill to me. I think I thought God was huge because all she did in the part I read, was cook :rotfl: When I cook, I gain weight :1pig: 

The concept for the book was interesting, I just couldn't get past a lot of things. At least the trinity got along. I half expected them to start bickering. , just so the author could be super creative


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I rather liked the book. "Papa" was portrayed as a "large" African American woman and Jesus was a middle eastern man dressed as a laborer, which in fact, he was. It was explained that they appeared thusly because they didn't want to reinforce religious stereotypes because that was not what the visit was about.
How exactly is it undesireable to have the Holy Trinity appear as non-whites?


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I have studied religion alot as a layman, have read the Bible several times from cover to cover and have sudied it whole heartedly. About 20 years ago, I went through a series of traumatic events and suffered great personal loss. I studied the Bible and prayed heavily during that time and was tried heavly to say the least. I came through it with a new outlook, and a small bit of uderstanding of God's great, unfathonable, never dying, unfailing love for me and you. I was really suprised that the author of The Shack put into words so well what had been revealed to me. Things not commonly taught. I would highly recommend the book to anyone. The guy is not a great writer, but he has, in my opinion, a good understanding of some very heavy theological areas.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

> How exactly is it undesireable to have the Holy Trinity appear as non-whites?


Lisa, thank you for putting into words what I could not. While others saw it as 'PC', I saw the Trinity described in descriptions befitting them. The 'large' black woman - so much like the wonderful large black women in my youth (in the south) that were stern to no end with their 'rules' but the most loving, caring, peaceful women I have ever had the opportunity to learn at their knee with. Is it 'stereotypical'?? I didn't give that a thought, for the women I knew were real. 

The Oriental "Holy Spirit", that flitted and fluttered and cast beauty. I guess it could have been "PC" but then, I don't know many far easterners to make that call.


Vicker,
You too, I must thank for putting into words which I could not.
What grabbed me the most is how the *3* embodied what the Bible has taught me and brought it to a a level of understanding that made me feel Alive in the Trinity.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I worked with my manager the other day, and were discussing this book. Apparently, the author was at the managements 4th quarter meeting. He explained his life story, he was raised by a stone age native tribe and was sexually molested by both the tribe and his parents. Apparently, there is a small blurb about the stone age tribe in the biography on the book. 
He spoke about his circumstances, and how he considered the tribe his family, not his missionary parents.
When we have our meeting at the end of the week I know there are copies of his book signed for prizes.


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## Rondah (Apr 1, 2008)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> How exactly is it undesireable to have the Holy Trinity appear as non-whites?


I wouldn't care one way or another (in fact I said in my post that the race part didn't matter to me, it was the fact that it felt overly politically correct to me). The fact that God was portrayed as a woman was also annoying to me (and I AM a woman, and I'm not mysogenistic at all) because it felt like a blatant attempt to push an agenda. I don't know how I feel about that, but many Christians would consider that blasphemous because the bible refers to God in the masculine. 
I wouldn't care if God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were ANY race, but he MADE it about race. Personally I don't see God as 'white'; I don't see Him as any race, at all.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Rondah said:


> I wouldn't care one way or another (in fact I said in my post that the race part didn't matter to me, it was the fact that it felt overly politically correct to me). The fact that God was portrayed as a woman was also annoying to me (and I AM a woman, and I'm not mysogenistic at all) because it felt like a blatant attempt to push an agenda. I don't know how I feel about that, but many Christians would consider that blasphemous because the bible refers to God in the masculine.
> I wouldn't care if God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were ANY race, but he MADE it about race. Personally I don't see God as 'white'; I don't see Him as any race, at all.


How exactly would you know all this if you read half and fed it to your dog?
Since you _didn't_ read it and can't knowledgeably critique it, why even try? And he didn't make it about race at all which you would know if you'd read it.


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## Rondah (Apr 1, 2008)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> How exactly would you know all this if you read half and fed it to your dog?
> Since you _didn't_ read it and can't knowledgeably critique it, why even try? And he didn't make it about race at all which you would know if you'd read it.


lol I read enough of it to be able to knowledgeably critique it. IMO he did make it about race. I don't think about God in terms of being ANY race. When I'm laying in bed at night, I'm not 'praying to a white guy' :cute: I didn't understand why he had to point out the races, making them relevant. I've read PLENTY of books where the race of the characters is never mentioned. He specifically mentioned race; an issue which isn't relevant to God. He specifically made God a female. I don't think those choices were insignificant to him.

Edited to add: I wouldn't have posted this thread on the book, if I hadn't read enough of it to form an opinion. I respect your opinion, even though we don't agree


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> I worked with my manager the other day, and were discussing this book. Apparently, the author was at the managements 4th quarter meeting. He explained his life story, he was raised by a stone age native tribe and was sexually molested by both the tribe and his parents. Apparently, there is a small blurb about the stone age tribe in the biography on the book.
> He spoke about his circumstances, and how he considered the tribe his family, not his missionary parents.
> When we have our meeting at the end of the week I know there are copies of his book signed for prizes.


WOW! 
I got halfway thru it,but kept falling asleep reading it. I had it for only a week on interlibrary loan,& had to return it before I got to finish it. My mom later bought it,so I'll wait till she finishes it .


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

I just bought this book yesterday at the book store. 
I was told by a friend that it was a book of healing, and that I should read it. 
I have to finish the book I'm currently reading, then I'll read it with an open mind.


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## granny64 (Sep 11, 2008)

nevermind


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## HoosierArkyTex (Oct 23, 2008)

I've actually read the book twice and am currently in a book group that is reading it. I think we all look at things with a certian slant that comes from our upbringing, life experiences and many other factors. That being said I didn't see it as the author using race or gender as an effort to be politically correct. God being portrayed as a woman was (IMHO) an effort to show God can take on many forms and meet us where our needs are. Mack the main character would not have been as open with a male due to his experiences with father. I didn't agree with some of the things in the book, but it did make me think about some things in a manner I never had before and that is how we grow.


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## Seeker (Sep 29, 2004)

No comments from me on the book, but I did think it was interesting that God (the father) was portrayed as a 'large black woman' but was CALLED "Papa".


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## jer (Sep 2, 2003)

I bought the book this last weekend and read it in two days. I loved it. I think it gives you a lot to think about but you would have to read the whole book to make sense of it. The ending is amazing!


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

jer said:


> I bought the book this last weekend and read it in two days. I loved it. I think it gives you a lot to think about but you would have to read the whole book to make sense of it. The ending is amazing!


Does it have any value for an atheist or non-Christian or do you have to be a Christian to get something out of it?


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## jer (Sep 2, 2003)

Dwayne Barry said:


> Does it have any value for an atheist or non-Christian or do you have to be a Christian to get something out of it?


Why don't you read it and let us know? I think you would.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

jer said:


> Why don't you read it and let us know? I think you would.



Maybe, but I've got 20 other books I'd like to read too so it would be nice to get an idea if it would be good for anyone or just Christians. Certainly has garnered a lot of press.


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## jer (Sep 2, 2003)

It is #1 on New York Times Bestseller List now. I read it in two days but I am always reading a book since it is how I relax. I would recommend it to anyone.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

jer said:


> It is #1 on New York Times Bestseller List now. I read it in two days but I am always reading a book since it is how I relax. I would recommend it to anyone.


Well I'm not sure that means much of anything 

Look at the movies that do well at the box office, 80% of the time they're total rubbish.


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## farmerjane (Jan 4, 2009)

I read it a few months ago, and well I wouldn't say I am non-Chirstian, I certainly wasn't brought up in a christian home . I enjoyed it, it was a little odd at times, but due to my limited knowledge of the christianity that is probably understandable.  I recomned the book. 


What is trinity and what is pc ?


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## SPANKYDOODLE (Dec 17, 2008)

The trinity stands for The Father, Son & Holy Ghost. pc, I believe means politically correct.
Just have to say I loved the book. I felt closer to God than ever before and that we should 
be more tolerant of others....to love, not judge


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I'm currently reading where Mack is headed out after dinner with Jesus and I am stumped. I was raised in "church" but we didn't delve too deep in the word unless you paid attention during the service. I have to admit, the talk of all the love is waaaaay over my head. I'd love to have it broken down into smaller peices so I can fully digest it. 

I'm just still too heartbroken over the brutal loss of his daughter.


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## SPANKYDOODLE (Dec 17, 2008)

Yes, but for me at least the part in the cave where Mac can see his daughter and know she is in excellent hands, somehow made up for the loss.... As for all the love I believe that it is simply and most importantly God's primary message. If everyone loved each other as we should the world wouldn't be the place it is today.


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## wdchuck (Jun 24, 2007)

My wifes cousin lent the book to her, but she is busy with bible study work, so I dove in without reading any blurbs/forewords and the like. 

Have some tissues ready. 

Building a relationship with God and fellow persons....seems like good subject matter to me.


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## dreamfamily (Oct 23, 2008)

I feel like the book is meant to open your eyes based on what level your on personally. That's why you hear so many say that they are reading it again. I listened to the book on cd and found myself going back to the previous track to gain a better since of understanding. It is very deep at times but truly worth the time spent. I loved it and recommended it to several friends and kept my copy for future use. I came away with a wonderful feeling and a renewed since of faith.


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

Okay, I read "The Shack" and finished it. I thought it was a really beautiful book that I'll keep and read again someday. 
The book attempts to personify the Holy Trinity so that we can further our relationship with them, and that God loves each one of us every much and wants a personal relationship with us. I don't agree with 100% of the theology, but I agreed with a lot of it, that above all, Christianity is about love and the process of forgiveness. 
God is personified as a black woman because He doesn't want to reinforce stereotypes, that Mack would be expecting the "old man with a white beard" that many think God might look like. He later appeared as a man when He and Mack went hiking together. 
Jesus is presented as a Middle Eastern looking, which...mmm....he surely was.
Some of it did strike me as being a little PC. 
I disagreed that it's okay to willfully disobey the Bible's moral codes, and they were meant just to show us how hard it is to be good, and God will just forgive us anyways. 
But all in all, I loved much of the book. 
I don't know if this book would be enjoyable to a non-Christian. The book was useful to me as a tool to further develop my relationship with God, but it won't replace my Bible.


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2009)

The author says that Papa was shown as a black woman because in that form, he was not threatening to Mack. Mack had a horrible relationship with his own earthly father so having God come across as another father figure would totally shut Mack off from hearing the message. Throughout the novel Papa is referred to as "he". It's just the physical description that's female. 


And does anyone else think it's going to be funny when some of the white supremecists get to Heaven and see that Jesus, when he was on earth, looked more like Osama Bin Laden than them?


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I didn't know Jesus was passing out portraits! Where can I get mine, so I can recognize him too when I see him!?!?!


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

PrettyPaisley said:


> I didn't know Jesus was passing out portraits! Where can I get mine, so I can recognize him too when I see him!?!?!


Of course no one knows what Jesus looked liked exactly. But being a 1st century Galilee Jew I think any reasonable person would conclude that yes Jesus would have looked much more like bin Laden (an Arab, also like Jews a semitic ethnic group from the middle east) than a "white" northern European. Probably the best modern ethnic group to compare to 1st century Jews for appearance would be modern-day Palestinians.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

DB-I understand. My post was intentional snark to the obnoxious and constant "white supremist" rhetoric. It's old old old, but some insist on fueling the fire and get away with it.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

PrettyPaisley said:


> DB-I understand. My post was intentional snark to the obnoxious and constant "white supremist" rhetoric. It's old old old, but some insist on fueling the fire and get away with it.


Not following you PP. I mean it is gloriously ironic that white supremicist groups very often base their beliefs on some sort of Christian ideology. Christianity by and large was founded by people (not to mention the central figure of Jesus) that they would apparently not care to associate with if they were alive today. I know very little about it, but I would imagine the mental gymnastics involved must be pretty interesting.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Hmmmm. That's not old, it's set in your ways.


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## DenverGirlie (Dec 22, 2005)

I just finished this book a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. 

I thought the representation of the trinity was really good. Mack had stated that he expected God to look like Gadolf (sp?) from Lord of the Rings. Thus "Papa" was a black woman. Jesus was represented as how he most likely looked, a middle eastern man. The spirt was good as well. I didn't see anything PC about the book at all. I really enjoy seeing the Trinity represented as such, as I still have a hard time grasping this concept. But I've been trying to see the Trinity as love. In order to have love, there must be the person giving the love (aka the lover) (God), the person loved (Jesus) and the actually feeling of love (the sprit). They are all part of the same thing, and true love can not exsist without all three of these things.

My parents gave me the book for X-mas and just now got around to reading it. I really enjoyed it and only saw positives from it and developing a better realtionship with God.


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## ArkansasLady (Jan 1, 2003)

I read it and did not like it, I truly felt it was emotional manipulation, your so upset about the child's murder the rest of it just seems to float by you, and I put it down, waited a couple of days till I was past the child's murder then picked it up and finished it and realized it wasnt near as fascinating as it had been before when my emotions were raw...I wont even give my copy away, it has been destroyed, I figure there are enough bad books out there without me adding to them by keeping it or giving it away...and since I paid for it, it is my perogative to destroy it..


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## Patt (May 18, 2003)

ArkansasLady said:


> I read it and did not like it, *I truly felt it was emotional manipulation, your so upset about the child's murder the rest of it just seems to float by you*, and I put it down, waited a couple of days till I was past the child's murder then picked it up and finished it and realized it wasnt near as fascinating as it had been before when my emotions were raw...I wont even give my copy away, it has been destroyed, I figure there are enough bad books out there without me adding to them by keeping it or giving it away...and since I paid for it, it is my perogative to destroy it..


That was exactly my thought too!


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## teresab (May 25, 2005)

I just finished the book and enjoyed it very much. I agree with the other posters that God took the form of a woman only because a woman was much more acceptable to Mack because of his bad relationship with his father.

What I liked most about the book was it really challanged me to look at my relationship with the Trinity and to view myself through their eyes and the Love that they have for me. It is a book that made me think and I would have to say I am better for having read it....while it wasn't scripture it was thought provoking and I enjoyed it.


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## lenii (Dec 31, 2005)

and thought it was very good. I couldn't put it down. Very spiritual....if you look at life negatively, you will find the negative.


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## Patt (May 18, 2003)

Which negative person would that be?


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## lenii (Dec 31, 2005)

the book was about love, unconditionaly love from the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. It tried to explain "why bad things happen to good people" .


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## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

I read reviews of this book, a book bringing GOD as a woman (or a man), is not respecting our Creator, somebody meets God in person, when the bible tells us if we see the face of God we surely die,and anything using GOD in any form or shape I think is not respecting HIM, You did alright, I got the book as a present then A friend at my home churc told me that,and I burned the book. I don't know how people in our days do anything for money and How Christians do not respect GOD like we should , this book is garbage. Be careful may poisons your puppies!!.


Rondah said:


> Has anyone read this? It was ummm interesting. I read about half of it then used it as a tug toy for my dogs


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I have studied Theology and hold a degree from a Christian University. I am a Believer, and am committed to no "Religion." 

My opinion? Which is my own, of course:

I found the book disturbing on multiple levels and wouldn't recommend it at all. It is important to add that I read this book cover-to-cover.

Now, having shared that, I also believe I am entitled to my opinion. I respect that others may or may not agree.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

I guess I'm a late comer to this discussion~~~~

I am 3/4 through the book and find it very thought provoking.

Those that are naysayers to the book may have gotten hung up on the descriptive language used as parables to make the overall point.

As some others have said-------the overall theme is about our Almighty and totally Loving God.

I have had to put the book down for several hours (or more) and then return to re-read several different pages.

I believe the book is enriching my relationship with God ---- teaching me to allow Him to work within me --- to use me ---- in my interactions with other people.

I would recommend it to all who believe in, and, Love God.


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