God on Trial is a very riveting story of a man and his
descent into mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, and his
decision to bring a lawsuit against God for crimes against humanity.
The main character is a man of deteriorating health, both mental and
physical, in his late 50's. He is nameless but not faceless. He has a
very generic description that makes it easy for you to imagine him as a
friend, relative or coworker. You can both sympathize and empathize
with him. He is married to a woman he adores and has stayed by his side
through all of his illnesses and takes care of him. She holds him
through his seizures and does everything she can to make him comfortable
and show that he's loved and cared for. He in return cares very deeply
for her and is evident throughout the story.
His life was not a
pleasant one, especially in the beginning. He begins to blame God for
much of his suffering and the suffering of mankind. He doesn't just
limit his anger at one incarnation of God, but at the image of a
vengeful and violent God. He begins to put together a brief that will
bring God to trial in abesntia. He pulls out biblical verses that seem
to support his claim that God has committed horrendous crimes against
humanity and needs to be held accountable for those crimes. As he
gathers the evidence he needs, his mind deteriorates. His life and
health begin to fall apart. But even while you can tell that he is in
the depths of a hallucination or in the grips of his schizophrenia, he
is not ranting like a "typical" madman. His arguments are lucid and
will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned the image of a
vengeful God.
The story is disturbing, throught-provoking,
intelligent, compassionate, frightening and throughly enjoyable. The
cover and the title intrigued me and I was hooked through the entire
story. I was left with many questions and the story can definitely lead
for some intersting discussions. I would definitely recommend this
book to anyone who has ever questioned God and human suffering. The
author really leaves it up to the reader to make their own decision.
While sympathetic toward the main character, the author doesn't claim
that he is right or wrong...just that he has a valid argument. Then
it's up to us to decide.
God on Trial on Amazon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment