Regardless of your current view of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, it would be difficult to argue that every single passage ultimately displayed a God of complete compassion to all mankind. Many assume that various actions taken during this period were necessary "evils," while others do not think so highly of destroying some beings for the benefit of others.
And who's to say one side is right and one side is wrong? With a disagreement as complex and gigantic as obliterating thousands, perhaps millions, of people, there's only one thing to do: have a trial. This is precisely what author Mohamed Mughal proposes in the last act of "Resolution 786," a book steep with thought-provoking possibilities centered on life, religion and love. The first two acts focus on main character Adam Hueghlomm's childhood, as a Muslim and Jewish boy, along with his varied relationship with girlfriend Becca. But the last half of the book is devoted to Hueghlomm's work in Iraq and the trial, where God must face the tribunal of his past atrocities.
This is not a typical book I would probably pick up in the store, yet once I found myself immersed in the text, I had a hard time putting it down, especially during the trial. Mughal's characters ask the questions that many of us have, or have had, during our struggles with determining our beliefs and who we really are on this earth. The interrogation by Hueghlomm and the wittiness supplied by God seem realistic, even though the possibility of this happening outside the realm of fiction seems inconceivable.
Mughal has a way of painting detailed pictures with allegorical descriptions, and I hope that this is just the beginning of more writings on the same topics.
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