What the 'Left Behind' Series Really Means

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-01-04 01:07pm

Ghost Rider wrote:Revelations was trippy even for something that has burning shrubbery, loving a being who fucks you over...etc.

As for my death, I die. This is my one shot at existence, and when I pass on, nothing, nada, zip, zero. And if there is a heaven and hell...then so be it. I don't believe in deities and somehow going on my death bed "I believe!" is not going to cut it.

Its actually quite easy to reconcile when you look at the book as a whole...it's one of the few bits that really does make sense. In the old testemant you have the god of rape, pillage and murder. Then halfway through it switches to the new testemant and goes, actually now he's the god of love, hugs and kisses! Finally at the end he pulls out the smiting stick and goes "Psyche! You didnt actually fall for that hugs and kisses shit did you?".

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2006-01-04 02:47pm

meliora wrote:I'm a Christian but I don't support those books at all. I've never read them (and never wanted to) but what I've heard of them gives a completely wrong description of the End Times -- first of all the idea that any Christian will be left behind is absurd.
Basically, those books are adding to Revelations (which, the last few verses of Revelations make clear, should NOT be done). No one knows when this will happen and we have no more detail than that given in the book of Revelation. So to write such a popular series about it shows how little knowledge of the Bible these so-called Christians have.
Yes I'm a Christian and I do believe the events of Revelations will happen. But I am a conservative Christian who definitely sees the weakness and confusion of the 'average' Christian in this country. They hardly know their Bibles or understand their God and many only go to church and think that is enough to claim Christianity.
What I'd like to ask all you is, what do YOU think will happen when you die? Honestly, no joking. You know what I think....what if I'm right? If I'm wrong, I guess I'll just be dead, or I'll be reincarnated (if Hinduism, New Age or Buddhist faiths are true). I can deal with that. If I'm right, though, what about all you guys? How do you know I'm not right? Are you sure you're going to Heaven, if Heaven exists?
I'm a Christian interested in hearing about other beliefs. Just curious.

I'm quite sure of reincarnation when I die, as I've experienced it before. Of course, the more and more I learn, the more I recognize that I may simply be insane. However, if I can't trust my own memory and observations, for what reason should I trust somebody else's?

You've played telephone before I hope, that kindergarten game designed to show you how much even a brief message can change when told from one person to the next many times? Don't you know that the entire old testament is a recording of what had been a long oral tradition? Even the gospels were insanely unreliable, and don't share similarities to almost any of what else is known of the time. Hell, even the whole bit about being the son of God doesn't make very much sense; at the time, calling yourself a son of god simply meant that you were a jew. Was jesus executed for being a jew? Maybe. Pontias Pilate historically was a douchebag to the jews, and never did a damned thing they wanted, or really gave a shit about them at all. Why would he care about their concerns reguarding a false messiah? The whole ancient text is just bloody stupid.

And just so you know, jesus didn't actually fulfil most of the prophesies from the old testament. Ask any jew what the prophesies are about the messiah, and consider them without bias. You will see that jesus fulfilled none of them. The fellow wasn't even supposed to die, and the world was supposed to be at peace at his coming. Jesus doesn't fit the bill.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2006-01-04 10:21pm

What I'd like to ask all you is, what do YOU think will happen when you die? Honestly, no joking. You know what I think....what if I'm right? If I'm wrong, I guess I'll just be dead, or I'll be reincarnated (if Hinduism, New Age or Buddhist faiths are true). I can deal with that. If I'm right, though, what about all you guys? How do you know I'm not right? Are you sure you're going to Heaven, if Heaven exists?

The bolded part is where you're wrong. What if you're wrong, and you go to a hell? Can you deal with that, or will you pussy out? Not every other religion is reincarnation, and only atheism is pure death.

The rest of it is just plain shit. Since none of the predictions Christianity makes are true (followers can drink poison, etc.) we can assume the whole book is generally worthless. The likelyhood of a 100% Bible being right is zero, unless the entire world I know is hallucinated. For fuck's sake, the book isn't even self-consistent.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2006-01-04 11:32pm

Back to the OP, I noticed that Mr. Bageant makes the mistake of assuming that 65 million books sold means 65 million people bought them. While 65 million Left Behind books have indeed been sold, that number covers all 12 volumes, and the kind of people the series would appeal to would most likely have bought them all.

Metatwaddle · Post by **Metatwaddle** » 2006-01-05 04:59am

There was a fantastic review of the Left Behind series in the New York Review of Books about two years back. (The reviewer, incidentally, was Joan Didion, so I'd expect no less.) I found it while browsing for well-written book reviews at school a couple of months ago. I can't read it here at home unless I pay three dollars for the article, though. I don't suppose I would be allowed to reprint the article here if I did pay for access to it?