After a long time away from the boards, I’m finally posting again. Anyway, per the recommendation of my pastor, I have not read the books. He has read the first few, I think, and refused to go any farther. He hasn’t let his kids read them either. Again, I haven’t read them, so this is somebody else’s opinion. But, he said that, not only were they poorly written, but he felt the books were based too much on fear and would give many the wrong idea about Christianity. By ‘wrong idea’, he just meant that in our sermons, there is no fire and brimstone, damnation, etc. If you do decide to be a Christian, you should enjoy it and not sit around in fear all your life hoping you never screw anything up. From this, I gathered that he simply believed that the books took on too much of an anti-Christian fear stance, and therefore he was unable to recommend it for reading.
My BIL gave five of these as books on tape to his folks. He was RAVING about how wonderful the series is. I should state here that said BIL has a “degree” from a “Bible college” and teaches in an ultra-fundie school. I held my tongue as he drooled over the series… My inlaws are sweet people, but in some things, one does not comment…
Thanks, as always, Mr. Firefly, for your detailed answer. I realise there’s no consensus in the Christian community, but how about in the LB book? How many went bye-bye then?
And the first person to answer me with “why don’t you read it yourself?” is going to get a flaming menorah in the face. ;j
Montfort, to answer your question, somewhere in the millions range. The books weren’t very clear.
However, they were clear that a large number (referred to in Revelation as the 144,000) of Jews were going to convert during the Tribulation.
Again, I read these books, but it’s definitely not to enhance my Biblical understanding. I can do that on my own.
I’m 2/3 of the way into the third book. I have this urge to go through the books with a black magic marker and cross out the repetitive stuff.
The books spend paragraphs, even pages, reiterating things that have occured earlier in the book. I would estimate that from the second book on, each book would be about forty or fifty pages shorter if the redundancies were edited out.Part of it is bringing you up to speed in case you haven’t read the previous installments, but then they tell you again in case you joined the current book in progress. It’s ridiculous. I mean, how many times do they have to tell you, in length and detail, that the handsome airline pilot lusted after the airheaded flight attendant, but didn’t actually bone her? ( At the point where I am in the series, the airheaded flight attendant is pregnant by the Antichrist, and thinking about dumping him because, well, he’s no fun anymore.)
I think the page space could have been better spent on plot and character development. Like, maybe make the women in the books characters in their own right? Nah, can’t have a woman with a mind of her own who can function independently of her father or husband.
And the two “heroes” of the book both have action hero-type names. Rayford Steele and Buck Williams? Why not normal names like Jim Taylor or Mike Przybysz? Names that real people would have?
And the way all the characters get swept into the Antichrist’s orbit is so artificial. It’s almost laughable.
One more thing. I was looking at the picture of Tim and Jerry on the back of one of the books, and I think Tim LaHaye looks more than a little demonic…
I’ve not read the books, not being a fundie. And being Catholic )and generally expecting anti-Catholic sentiment from those folks, it looks as if it was a good decision.
I once had two Baptists come to my door to convert me. I thanked them politely and told them I was already spoken for, so to speak. They still wanted to evangelize, as I was holding back my german shepherd and my doberman. Finally, before they left, one of them said, “Do you know you’re going to heaven? We can tell you how do know know that you’re bound for heaven.” My response, which was “I like not knowing - it keeps me on my toes and keeps me from being complaisant” sort of threw them for a loop. I think if you know you’re heaven-bound, you might have a surprise coming up. Because by that you’re claiming to know the mind and will of God. And no one truly can know the mind of God. Oops. I’ll step off my soapbox now.
St Germain, I can promise you, not all Baptists are like that. Really. At least, not this one.
I can’t claim to know the mind and will of other Baptists!
Nocturne - That’s okay - I certainly don’t blame the actions of a couple of Tennessee Southern Baptists on you! I do believe that the best way to proselytize is by example - to be the kind of person others might want to emulate in some small way. Or at least be a person who doesn’t, by their daily actions, present a poor image of their faith. I believe that everyone, with the help of God, saves their own soul. All anyone else can be is a guide along the way.
By the way, Nocturne, do you want to convert to Catholicism? I believe this month’s free sign-up gift is a Procter-Silex iron. Or you could hold out for a cordless drill…
I have a non-religious friend whose managed to choke down the entire series thus far. His explanation: “It’s like watching a WB comedy sit-com. I want to see just HOW bad it can get.” He says that the characters are so goody-goody and poorly drawn that at this point, he’s rooting for Satan. He’s offered (threatened) to loan them to me once he’s finished and out of morbid curiosity, I just might take him up on it.
Okay, I don’t want to actually read the books myself, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to ask some sensible people who have read them:
All the already saved Christians get Raptured right at the start, but–I’m guessing–not everybody who’s “Left Behind” is automatically doomed to hell. In other words, you can wait until after the Rapture to get saved. My question is, just how do the wicked Antichrist and his One World Government explain the sudden disappearance of millions of Bible-thumping Christians (including, evidently, the Pope)? Wouldn’t all the even halfway-smart atheists start rethinking their positions after all the Christians have been miraculously wafted into the air to meet Jesus? And what kind of a chump signs up with the Antichrist at that point?
[sub](And yes, I know the sig line is just terribly ironic here.)[/sub]
I have never ever heard of this series of books. Ever. Are they new or old? And a movie? Like a major motion picture release? What was is called?
I’m so oblivious to these things. I swear the last book I read was “Unix Unleashed”. Yes, my life IS that exciting. Stop drooling.
No, really, stop.
But, speaking of terribly written books, my roommate has been reading “One” by Richard Bach lately. I picked that up whilest on the john the other day. Good golly! That thing is horrible!
Left Behind. Ye-up! That’s Me!
Can I REALLY sign up? I’ve been to Mass, I know what to do. I know some saints. Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease let me be at least an honorary Catholic ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!
Well, I can’t help you with the books’ explanation, but I can tell you how lots of fundies see it, which could very likely be the books’ viewpoint too.
A chick comic once showed a news report from the “end times” blaming the disappearance on UFOs. Doesn’t explain why they only took the Xians, though. And the fundies believe that there’s already so much overwhelming scientific and historical evidence supporting hard-nosed Biblical literalism, that even the sudden disappearance of a few million Xians wouldn’t convince those stupid atheists/followers of other religions.
FTR, the Antichrist’s “official” explanation of the mass disappearances of millions of people (including babies disappearing from mother’s wombs during delivery) in the LB books is some kind of atmospheric reaction between lightening and all those nuclear warheads sitting around on the planet reacting with the biochemistry of Christians and very young children.
The “explanation” is never really fully developed. The way it is presented makes UFO abductions sound more plausible.
Also, there is mention made of people believing the UFO abduction theory.
And being left behind does not mean automatic damnation. The main characters basically become believers when family members who were Christians who followed the literalistic interpretation of the Bible suddenly vanished. Also, there is a character who was an assistant church pastor who had assumed he was “saved” but after his wife vanished realized that he had been a phony Christian.
But the majority of the Earth’s population signs on with the Antichrist because he manages to sell himself as a pacifist, come up with a plausible explanation for the disappearances, and seems to have the answers to all of the world’s problems. And remember, the majority of the world’s population is not Christian, and might not be familiar with the Christian Biblical literalist concept of the Rapture, so they would not have much reason to think that that was what had occurred.
Oddly enough, in the books, little mention is made in the media of the fact that all of the adults who disappeared were fundamentalist Protestant Christians.
And kids, I’m actually * reading * these books and reporting back to you. I think y’all could show a little more gratitude for the intellectual sacrifice I’m making on your behalf.
A case of Guinness would be appropriate, or maybe some homemade fudge…
Nocturne<, the Catholic church is glad to have you. Now that you’ve signed up, I should tell you that you’ve committed yourself to a year’s worth of classes. It’s sort of like joining a health club, or Arthur Murray. One free lesson then bam you’re committed. Actually, if you did convert, you would go to classes for about a year before you’d be allowed to partake of the sacraments. You have to have knowledge about the faith before you can make the decision that you want to fully join the Church. You are welcome to come to any church, any time. And my personal favorite saint is St. Therese of Lesieux. I can chare her, if you want.
“OK, we need a materialistic, sophisticated careerist, an intellectual who is struggling with his beliefs, a girl to appeal to the younger people, an airheaded blonde… what else? Oh, yeah, the Antichrist.”
Alright, this is what started goimg through my head:
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of the rapture day!
It started on a normal day, so carefree and so gay.
The Christians were brave and valorous, the pagans grew like weeds—
Believers got sucked up aloft, like watermelon seeds!
(Like watermelon seeds!)
The going started getting rough—No one was at their best!
And Jesus and the Anti-Christ, they had a bitch-slap fest
(They had a bitch-slap fest!)
The Left-Behinders gathered on the shore of a desert isle:
With Jesus,
The Anti-Christ
A millionaire, and his wife!
A movie star,
The Professor and Mary-Ann—
Actually, if you did convert, you would go to classes for about a year before you’d be allowed to partake of the sacraments. You have to have knowledge about the faith before you can make the decision that you want to fully join the Church. You are welcome to come to any church, any time. And my personal favorite saint is St. Therese of Lesieux. I can chare her, if you want.