# I broke down and started reading the Left Behind series **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2000, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820 "2000-12-22T04:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/61 "2001-03-24T11:16:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarinth \* > **I should have listened… but no, now I’m stuck…** Therein lies the true horror of these books. The pages are coated with an addictive substance that softens your willpower and makes you susceptible to the authors’ very whims. Put the book down NOW, and run! RUN! Be careful you don’t get a papercut from it, else you’ll begin to claim that Jack Hardwack (I know it’s Buck Williams, but does it really matter? :D) is an ideal role model. I haven’t read these books, never will, but I used to work at an small audiobook rental store where this series got its very own shelf. I don’t know whether that says anything about the store owner himself or that he was just pandering to the customers, because they sure went in and out on a frequent basis. Oddly enough, I **never** heard anyone complain about the books. I actually thought they were pretty decent, considering the turnover they had, until I started reading this thread and others on the SDMB. Though, you gotta admit the covers at least look neat. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/62 "2001-03-24T21:47:21Z")
I read the first one, thought it was ok, not great, but ok. ---
**Author:** ![Pollo\_Boyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Pollo\_Boyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollo_Boyo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/63 "2001-03-24T22:52:11Z")
I may be confusing religions here (I get Christian and Catholic so mixed up) > [@](#): > > infants and young children, being innocent, are raptured along with the "saved What about original sin? ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/64 "2001-03-25T00:15:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pollo Boyo \* > \*\*I may be confusing religions here (I get Christian and Catholic so mixed up) > > > [@](#): > > > > infants and young children, being innocent, are raptured along with the "saved > > What about original sin? \*\* [sarcasm]Ok, first of all Catholics are Christians. _We_(the Catholics), ignored that little reformation thing the protestants had back in the 1500’s. They were just doing it for a little attention anyway.[/sarcasm] I could be incorrect in my answer to you, but here goes. Both denominations believe in Original Sin. The reason the babies and young children in the books were raptured with the “true Christians” is that they had not yet reached the age of accountability. That is the age-different for each person-where you become responsible for your actions. Anyone who had not reached that age could not have made the decision to be “saved” and so was automatically taken up. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/65 "2001-03-25T00:39:00Z")
To start off, I haven’t read any of the LB books. Maybe I’ll read one later if someone gives me a copy, but I’m too busy right now. I was first alerted to their existence by this notorious thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58276](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58276) Anyway, I’ve been over to the official sites and message boards for both the movie and the books, and as I expected, it was pure comedy. However, I remembered a few facts from various sources, did some fast mental calculations, and now I have a theory that I want to float for you people: During rapture, according to LB, roughly 144,000,000 people will disappear. This includes all good Christians, as well as very small children. Our current world population is 6,000,000,000. Now suppose that the age of accountability is 3, then all 2-year-olds or younger will be among the 144,000,000. But I think there must be at least 144,000,000 children of 2 or younger, because that’s only 2.5% of our world population. By simple math, you can see that we must have more than 144,000,000 small children, so where is there any room for the good Christians? ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820/66 "2001-03-25T00:54:34Z")
I thought it was a pretty good series. Of course I’ve also thought that, on some fanfiction, roleplaying boards some peoples very first stories were better than it. and Uma, don’t be insulting the wheel of time:) 1 dimensional characters? They are some of the best I’ve seen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-broke-down-and-started-reading-the-left-behind-series/46820.md?page=3)