OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF CONFLICT, INTOLERANCE, AND STRIFE

Short account of two characters who leave their religious traditions behind.

The story line of this fictional account is a vehicle for the author’s message about the conflict between Christianity and Islam. At “5.15 pm in the GreenWise Market section in the Publix grocery store on Hoffner Road, Lakeland, Florida,” a Roman Catholic man named Peter Francis (PF) discovers a note from Tahira Ahmad, a Muslim woman, explaining that she is looking for a non-Muslim life partner. Within the first few pages, the two characters become involved in a relationship and spend a weekend at a cabin, discussing their personal lives and–more importantly–their religious views. Through their conversations, we learn that both characters were raised as firm believers in their respective faiths, but have since come to question their traditions. After concluding that most of the world’s problems stem from a perversion of religion, they vow to become a new Adam and Eve, starting afresh to serve as an example to others. In limiting the book to such a short morality tale, the author limits the effect of the potentially compelling religious explorations. And since the two characters agree on nearly everything, there is little depth to their conversations. When Tahira and PF discuss whether God intervenes in our lives, both quickly conclude that there is no evidence to support such a claim–only one example of the lack of perspective offered by the one-sided discussions. As PF quotes the Christian apologist Tertullian at length, or Tahira lists nine books she has recently read, complete with subtitles and full author names, the narrative becomes tedious and repetitive.

Far too brief to fulfill the author’s intent.