# Left Behind series popularity. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678 "2000-12-08T20:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/21 "2000-12-12T02:22:18Z")
Hey, I like these books! Great literature, they ain’t, but I like them. People who read them and take them as {no pun intended} gospel truth are a little whacked. They are one man’s **fictionalized interpretation** of part of the Bible. I also think your idea at the checkout \* (holding up handheld barcode reader) “Please hold out your hand so I can validate this purchase.” \* would be hysterically funny. If you get her to do this you HAVE to film it for us! I also have to agree with Melpomene: > [@](#): > > \*\*\*Melpomene quote: > Where is C) People who just enjoy fun reading ??. I know that I, and quite a number of other people I know, buy the books because they are fun to read. It’s fast reading, a fictionalized interpretation of Revelations (which has always been an interesting Bible chapter to me) and is damn fun!! I really don’t think that poor taste in books has anything to do with it. No, they are ot “literature” and are not “well-written” by classic or technical writing standards. However, it’s frustrating to think that a person is classified as having poor taste in books simply because s/he occasionally reads fluff? A well-rounded reader and avid Bibliophile reads all types of books, not just the “well-written” ones. \*\*\* Well said, Melpomene. ---
**Author:** ![Peculiar\_Pixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@Peculiar\_Pixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peculiar_Pixie)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/22 "2000-12-12T03:19:42Z")
I read in a magazine article about the Christian-oriented entertainment industry that the _Left Behind_ series has faintly Anti-Jewish messages (i.e., all the Jews in the books are described as having big noses). I’m avoiding them for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/23 "2000-12-12T04:36:23Z")
My biggest surprise is getting Michael York to star in that Movie. Never saw it, don’t even know its name. but York is, or was, a top noch screen and stage actor. I can’t see him desperate enough unless they gave him a lot of money (for him), or he is getting religous. He did Austin Powers, which can better advance his career than that crap. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/24 "2000-12-12T09:18:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kinsey \* > \*\* > I also think your idea at the checkout \* > (holding up handheld barcode reader) “Please hold out your hand so I can validate this purchase.” \* would be hysterically funny. If you get her to do this you HAVE to film it for us! > > \*\* Would all you people stop talking about this!!! 'Cause I’ve already thought about doing just that (Barnes and Noble here) and if you keep talking about it I just might… And probably get my ass fired. Although it might be worth it :D. ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/25 "2000-12-12T20:24:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyberneticist \* > > \*\*People who read it as anything other then pure pulp fiction (the group I was addressing with my jokes) are likely to be highly gullible and potentially high entertainment. \*\* _Amen!_ That’s why I enjoy the thought of you succeeding with some of those fun & harmless mini-pranks. I was simply affronted at the assumption that the only people reading the books either don’t know good writing or believe in every word and take it literally. The C) missing from the OP is that group of us who enjoys LB as pulp fiction. As a sensationalized, fictionalized view of Revelations. > [@](#): > > \*\*Anyway, if you’re reading it for the dubious theology, I would definitely recommend reading Daniel 7-12. \*\* Although I am not reading LB for theological purposes, since I see it as purely fiction, I still would like to read through that portion of Daniel with the suggestions you made. The points you have intrigue me to take another perspective on the book of Daniel. Thank you for that. I do appreciate someone giving me a new way to look at or examine something. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/26 "2000-12-12T20:32:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Peculiar Pixie \* > \*\*I read in a magazine article about the Christian-oriented entertainment industry that the _Left Behind_ series has faintly Anti-Jewish messages (i.e., all the Jews in the books are described as having big noses). > > I’m avoiding them for that reason. \*\* No, they don’t describe all the Jews as having big noses. Having read all the books released, I can say with almost complete certainty that the Jews are not described as such. If so, it may have been from one of the characters that is malicious enough to say something like that as a person. It is not a stereotype that the authors substantiate…that is for sure. The only Anti-Jewish messages that are in there lean more towards being Anti-Judaism in the sense that according to Christianity, the Jews were not correct in their beliefs re: Christ and his being Savior and his return, etc. That’s Christianity for you anyway. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/27 "2000-12-12T20:38:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kinsey \* > Well said, Melpomene. > \*\* Gee. Wow. I feel so special! Someone agreed with me on SDMB. This is indeed a privileged moment. I wonder if this means I gain one more point towards Regular Standing? Thank you Kinsey. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/28 "2000-12-12T22:16:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Melpomene \* > \*\*Thank you Kinsey. > > 😃 > \*\* Hey, what can I say? Great minds think alike, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/29 "2000-12-12T22:31:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AuntiePam \* > Doesn’t one of their wives write “women’s” books? The “how to please your man while spending your life in the kitchen” type of book? I dunno, but Tim LaHaye’s wife is Beverly LaHaye, who, IIRC, was founder of the religious-right org, Concerned Women for America. They (CWfA) were fairly influential in the '80s, but I haven’t heard much out of them lately. ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/30 "2000-12-14T21:17:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by AuntiePam \* > > Doesn’t one of their wives write “women’s” books? The “how to please your man while spending your life in the kitchen” type of book? > > I dunno, but Tim LaHaye’s wife is Beverly LaHaye, who, IIRC, was founder of the religious-right org, Concerned Women for America. They (CWfA) were fairly influential in the '80s, but I haven’t heard much out of them lately. \*\* Bleah. Around the time of the '92 election, I started getting a lot of CWfA propaganda in the mail. I answered one of their questionaires as left-wing liberally as possible and mailed it off to them, but they just responded with more junk that said, basically, “Thank you for your interest! Send us some money!” I didn’t and they eventually went away. Thanks for reminding me about them… I think. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/31 "2000-12-14T22:03:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thea Logica \* > \*\*A couple of weeks later, she was reading the fourth book in the series. Yeesh. I thought I was a voracious reader, but this chick puts me to shame. \*\* Is reading 4 books in 2 weeks unusual? Last week I read 5 books in 4 days 😃 Anyway, After the LBMB invasion, my opinion is forever tainted, but knowing the subject matter, the books scare me. Fundy fundy fundy. I don’t like Fundy. My mom recently told me she’d ordered the video from Amazon with the gift certificate I gave her for her birthday. I feel so dirty now! ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/32 "2000-12-14T23:17:15Z")
I’ve read all the ones that are out. I have two bad characteristics: One, I’m curious to a fault, so I picked up the first one to figure out what the fuss was about. Two, I’m stubborn. 🙂 As far as anti-Jewish sentiment, **Melpomene** is right: They basically just say that Jews are wrong in their beliefs, not bad people. Once converted, Jews seem to be some of the big stars of the books. Actually, I wish they were better written, so they wouldn’t be so much characitures of themselves, and might actually present some cogent theology from the Christian point of view. Maybe we can get **Polycarp** to write the next one, and have **tomndebb** edit… ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678/33 "2000-12-14T23:29:21Z")
Their theology could definitely use a lot of revision too. But hopefully Polycarp could fix that as well… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-behind-series-popularity/44678.md?page=1)