Books like The Divine Romance

I don't know if Gene Edwards deliberately took theological liberties in this book in the name of allegory or if he agrees with all the points he seems to make in its pages. I guess I could have misinterpreted things, but the trouble with making allegory out of scripture is that it can be taken the wrong way, and that's dangerous when you're dealing with things of God.From the first few pages, This book seems to suggest that to be made in the image of God equates with being male. This is certainly not how I read scripture. Also, there is the suggestion that God is singular. While God is one, certainly when I read the bible, even in its early stages, this oneness doesn't seem to be the kind of oneness that we, as humans, understand it, but a suggestion of multiple persons in one (a view commonly understood as the trinity). This is not supported in this allegory, especially when, skipping forward to Jesus' arrival on Earth, heaven seems empty of God when he arrives here. Since the bible records Jesus praying to his Heavenly Father while on Earth (and even once in this book), I think this is a position that is not supported in scripture either.A minor point is that, while the author does say Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons (which is what the bible says) he makes her a prostitute as well, even though there is no suggestion in scripture that she and the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet were one and the same woman, even if they were both called Mary.Theology aside, this book had an overabundance of flowery phrases and the author seemed to enjoy belabouring each point he made. Point of view was a bit skewed at times. Also, I'd like to point out that there is such a thing as the overuse of italics. Using it constantly renders it virtually ineffective, even annoying. Italics is used to excess in this book, particularly in the first few chapters. This is definitely not a book I will be recommending.