Have just finished reading my second Coelho book. The Alchemist was the first and The Fifth Mountain the latter. I have to say that for an author so renowned and so seemingly well versed in the Abrahamic religions of the world I couldn't help but surprise myself at the number of 'astaghfirullahs' I must have silently recounted. I don't know very much at all about Coelho (frankly I'm no longer interested) so I don't know whether some of the Islamic undertones in his writing are indeed a result of any research he has conducted of Islam or whether they are aspects of Christianity which he has familiarity with. Does it really matter?
On a very slight tangent, during a lunchtime discussion today I learnt that in fact the only difference between the various denominations of the Church of England is the extent of practice. Methodists are, I am told, forbidden from gambling and drinking alcohol. Hmm. And the dress code at the wedding that my discussee will be attending in a couple weeks requires her to cover her head in church. So she has to buy a hat (shall I lend her a scarf?)
So much similarity...yet worlds apart.