"We do not want churches, because they will teach us to quarrel about God."
--Chief Joseph
The Protest is a love story . . .
- A man of God whose love grew into obsession
- A woman who loved too easily, and then not easily enough
- A man who loved so much he would give up the Garden of Eden
- Children who were terrified to love because God was watching
At the heart of The Protest are events that are common throughout the world: the destruction of friendships, families, and even societies, stemming from rigid, intolerant faiths, as well as humankind's struggle against the injustice and inhumanity of such beliefs.
The Protest is a story of seduction, power, oppression, and freedom to choose. Jane Crownhart breaks free of the powerful small town church in which she grew up and with the help of her schizophrenic sister's insane insights, fights the Jesus that continues to stalk her. But Jane cannot help the true victims, who are slowly succumbing to a "C.I.A." fire-bombing by the blood. And while she discovers a love she thought didn't exist, she also finds that ultimately, humanity's freedom to choose can have no other destiny but the Fall.
Gripping, heartbreaking, and wryly amusing, Bunnell's story speaks to a diverse audience. More than simply entertain, the novel will help the public, legal, and psychiatric professionals, as well as religious leaders, become familiar with the phenomenon of religion-based alienation.
The Protest is endorsed by Steven Hassan, author of Releasing the Bonds and Combatting Cult Mind Control. Hassan, an internationally acknowledged expert on cults and mind control, has been a licensed mental health professional for over twenty years, and has appeared on 60 Minutes, Night Line, CNN, NBC, CBS, Good Morning America, Oprah, and Sally Jessy Raphael.
NOTE: The novel also contains an encompassing appendix of resources in the form of books, websites, and centers that help victims of over-zealous faith.
Dianne Kozdrey Bunnell
Copyright, 2003