Indictment of G_d?

In the following question, a reader asks about the indictment of G_d in Resolution 786.


The reader asks:

Mohamed, The story line seems to contain an indictment (pardon the pun) of a particular version of God (known in many circles as OOO, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient). What would you say to that? Is the book against that version of God? Is it just pointing to questions that are asked by spiritual seekers in trying to determine how their concept of God fits their theology? Something totally different?


Mohamed answers:

Dear Reader - I see it's time for some literary hardball/fastball :). Only kidding -Resolution 786 is a novel all about asking the hard questions and your particular question is certainly consistent with that theme.

First the short answer: No. My novel is in no way meant to be pejorative towards any concept of G_d or towards any framework of spiritual belief, to include the belief that the Cosmos is inert of spiritual elements.

That said, why a storyline that focuses on the Abrahamic “face” of G_d? Simply put, because that’s the face that I, through the circumstances of my birth and life, am most familiar with. I was taught to pray in a certain direction, in a certain way and at specific times of the day. I was taught a set of stories that depict a G_d who behaved out of jealousy and anger and who, at times, hurt and killed. As a child, I questioned that G_d. I got older; I lived in Africa, Europe and North America; I traveled on pilgrimages to Varanasi, Kathmandu, Jerusalem and Mecca, into the rituals of the Masai in Kenya and through the ruins of the Mayans; I read; I lived with and loved souls of different faiths. Now, through the mosaic of those life experiences, I no longer question the G_d of my youth. I question humanity and the choices that we make for ourselves.

Adam Hueghlomm lives in a prison of his own making, trying to force logic and linearity onto a phenomenon that lends itself to neither. The notion that one may find G_d through entirely logical means is akin to saying “I will reduce the process of falling in love into an integrated set of first order differential equations and when I solve for variable ‘x,’ I will be in love.”

You can’t. I tried.

And so G_d is a minor player, background scenery in the stage that frames the story of Resolution 786. In the end, it’s a story not about G_d, but about us and our struggles and our choices and the world that we’ve created for ourselves, a world in which we see a tremendous, hopeful spirit of human kindness residing side-by-side with a shameful disposition towards butchery.

Is Resolution 786 an indictment of G_d? No. Rather, it's an open-eyed, full-frontal exploration of ourselves.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for thinking. Thank you for taking the time to ask the hard questions.

Mohamed

Happy 4th!

This weekend marks America's 234th birthday. I scanned the haphazard array of books in my study for an appropriate read. I settled on Jimmy Carter's We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land, a selection plucked from my small collection of signed books.





The book reminds me of our country's tradition of good deeds. As a nine year old refugee, I was a direct beneficiary of our benevolence. We Americans have a national tradition of doing good in the world. On this, our 234th birthday, I know that we have not lost our grace.

Happy Birthday, America! May G_d bless you.

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you, WritingNut, for this award! If you haven't visited WritingNut's blog yet, give it a look; I think you'll enjoy its mix of inspiration, imagination and writing tips.


The award came with a few fun rules:


1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...).
4) Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.


One is done!

Now to two; 7 things about myself:


1. I write fiction in the traditions of literary cubism and absurdism.


2. My academic background isn't in literature or its related subjects; I'm a chemical engineer.


3. I'm a proud American; my parents are Indian; I was born in Africa.


4. In addition to absurdist fiction, I created a cartoon strip titled Dr. Mohamed. I asked Kurt Vonnegut if he'd like to collaborate on the strip. He declined via postcard:





5. A Presbyterian minister taught me the Lord's Prayer on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem at the site where Jesus is purported to have first taught the prayer to his disciples.


6. I visited Mecca in the 1990s and got so close to the Kaaba (the large black cube) that each time I bowed to pray, the top of my head touched the base of the Kaaba.


7. Laughing, sex and artistic creativity are my favorite things in life!



Now, to pass the award on to 15 super-duper bloggers:


1. Samuel Park @ Samuel Park's Daily Pep for Writers
2. Medeia Sharif @ Medeia Sharif
3. Stephanie @ Relics of My Mind
4. Ted Cross @ Ted Cross Blog
5. Lua Fowles @ Bowl of Oranges
6. Lydia Kang @ The Word is My Oyster
7. Amanda Borenstadt @ A Fortnight of Mustard
8. Kristine @ Light and Shadow
9. Valerie Geary @ Something to Write About
10. Michele Scott @ Holy Terrors
11. Cruella Collett @ The Giraffability of Digressions
12. Jennifer Shirk @ Me, My Muse and I
13. KM Weiland @ Wordplay
14. Susan Fields @ Susan Fields
15. Talli Roland @ Talli Roland

Latest Reader Review, "Resolution 786"

Isabel Gildyn posted her Amazon review of Resolution 786 earlier this week. This is the first time that a reader's review has made specific mention of the "trial of Jesus Christ" as part of the novel's storyline. Ms. Gildyn is right; it's in there.

Local Poetry Reading

Our very own May Kuroiwa is organizing a joint reading for two local poetry groups, the Harford Poetry and Literary Society and Lunchlines.

More details:

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: An Evening of Poetry

Join us for readings of original work by members of the Harford Poetry and Literary Society, and the mid-day poetry group, Lunchlines.

Monday, August 2nd
The Vineyard Wine Bar
142 N. Washington St.
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
443-502-2551

Readings begin at 7 p.m.

Many thanks to The Vineyard Wine Bar; the Cecil County Arts Council and the Elkton Arts Center; and the poetry groups, Lunchlines, and the Harford Poetry and Literary Society.

http://vineyardwinebar.com/
http://www.cecilcountyartscouncil.org/
http://lunchlines2010.blogspot.com/2010/03/lunchlines.html
http://harfordpoetrysociety.org/

Blessed Litha!

The U.S. Naval Observatory puts the upcoming summer solstice at 7:28 AM EDT on June 21, 2010. Hail the conquest of light, greetings to Ra, hail the luscious bloom of Nature!

Wishing each of your a blessed Litha,

Mohamed

Tantra Bensko's "Everything Experimental Writing"

Those of you who follow my blog know that my draft novel, Christmas in Mecca, contains vignettes formatted as plays, poems, e-mails, instant messages and government memoranda. I'm experimenting with those various written media to weave a tapestry of syllables that, taken together, convey the themes, meaning and spirit of the evolving story.

As an avid practitioner of cubist writing, I was elated to see that Tantra Bensko has posted a link to my article on literary cubism on her web-site, Everything Experimental Writing. Visit Tantra's site and indulge your interest in literary approaches unbound by tradition and stricture.