Our laws, our society, our emotions, our hearts, our expressions - these are all governed by our almighty God. Muslims put their faiths in the Quran, whereas Christians preach the beatitudes as well as the New Testament. Both claim to praise God, except through vastly different teachings and ways. God is universally acknowledged as the greatest legislator of all time. However, the question to ask here is, have His laws caused oppression rather than salvation? Intuition tells one that the sorrow and suffering in our mortal life will be rewarded with eternal pleasure in the afterlife. But what about this life in the present? The question remains unanswered; does God indeed forbid forbidden love? This work of fiction presents the story of Natalia, a young Muslim girl pressured by the strict laws of Islam. Her search for salvation finds consummation in Raphael, her childhood love. Raphael, a young Christian boy, fights the struggles put forth by religion, culture, and history. His theology is simple - love must prevail. Natalia and Raphael's friendship, passion, and love is forbidden by the laws of God. The duo fight for a change in the way the world works and their rights to forbidden love. Little does Natalia know that Raphael, with strikingly similar features to that of Jesus Christ's, the saviour, will eventually, through ways out of the ordinary, assist Natalia in her quest for salvation as well, in the process attaining his own salvation. So in the end, does love really prevail? Read on to find out...
The year was 1996; somewhere in the calendar of May, a young clerk gave birth to a son, the youngest among her children, who went on to do extraordinary things. His father was an average man, a mechanic, dark-skinned, and passionate about performing acts of kindness for others. His youngest son was a split image of his father, only missing his brute strength. The eldest sibling, who went by the name of Solomon, spent most of his days working. He is still known for whipping the greatest cappuccino ever known, in the youngest sibling's opinion. My name is John Jacob, and I am the extraordinary child. I was born into an orthodox Christian family, surrounded by nothing but family. I am fortunate enough not to have suffered as much as the other children in my community. I wouldn't call my community a slum, but it's filled with extreme oppression. Drug addiction, alcoholism, pollution, and violence prevails in every corner. I found my salvation after my grandfather passed away. I still think about what it would have been like for him to be able to hold my first book and read it. I wonder whether he would be proud of me. I used to believe in the routine that society strongly prescribes for us - study, get a degree, get a good job, make money, and have a family. I have come to realise that this dictate of the society is far from the one God has prescribed for us. Change is an ongoing process, yet the change in our hearts we fail to amend. My salvation I found it in the Bible. I could feel the wisdom running through my jugular and up to my brain, to make me the man I am today. I am immortal. Death nor divorce can separate me from the love I have accumulated on this Earth.
