I've read 5 of the main books(up to Assassins), and 7 of the teen Left Behind books. Does it appear to you that this is where Christians are getting their Rapture knowledge? It does to me. Is this the problem with their knowledge? They take it from an admittedly fictional book?
2007-06-13 04:08:27 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Christians: Would you assume I've already read the Bible if I've read over 10 other fictional books you all revere?
2007-06-13 04:19:13 · update #1
They got their ideas from a fictional book long before the Left Behind series came out
2007-06-13 04:11:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 5⤋
Actually, the Rapture is a hoax that was made popular in the 19th century by such religious demagogues as John Nelson Darby and William Eugene Blackstone. Catholic, Orthodox, and many mainstream Protestant churches do not accept the doctrine of the rapture. Tim LaHaye is just the latest snake oil salesman to get rich selling the foolish this ridiculous concept.
2007-06-13 14:19:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I've read them. They are nice novels if you're a sadist. The Christian beliefs about the "end of days" do seem to come from the Left Behind series books.
The Left Behind series takes a "Pre-Millennial" view of the rapture. That only means that the rapture happens before the arrival of the anti-christ. There are at least 3 other views about this... that it happens mid-millennial, post-millennial, or, my favorite, never at all. John was exiled to the island of Patmos when he was inspired to write Revelation by a vision he had of the end of time. Of course, even in the study bibles they will tell you that Revelation, on which the Left behind series is based, is symbolic of what was going on with the Roman Empire in that period of time, in that part of the world. i.e. the rising of the beast from the sea, is really the Roman army attacking via their navy. It goes on and on. I learned about all of this when I went to seminary.
I think that if Christians (and I used to be one), would be much better off with the scholarly facts instead of going along with the ultra-conservative brainwashing that the protestant church is spewing out now...
2007-06-13 11:22:39 · answer #3 · answered by Seth F 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Hi, I'm not an atheist, can I still answer?
Ok, I will anyway.
These books are RIDICULOUS. I can't stand them, and not just because of the terrible writing.
Yes, a lot of Christians today draw their beliefs on eschatology (end times) from those books. The specific doctrine the book displays is called Premillenial Dispensationalism, and it was really popular in the 19th century. A lot of conservative branches of Christianity still hold to it today.
I completely disagree with that theology. It's totally unbiblical and quite ridiculous. I just think that the Christians who believe in the tribulation and end times like the idea that God would take them away before it even began, even though as I said it's not Biblical at all.
Ugh sorry for the rant. This is really a sore subject with me. I can't stand Dispensationalism and I hate those books!
2007-06-13 11:14:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Nope I already have an ever growing list of books I want to read. The chances of me getting to the left behind series is about 0 right now
2007-06-13 11:12:31 · answer #5 · answered by John C 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Christian, and I have read only 3 of the Left Behind books. The writing is not very good, I am an avid reader of all kinds of books, so have high standards for quality of written literature.
Rapture studies come directly from the Bible - and there are more than one Christian theory about how or if it will occur.
If you're an atheist who is trying to find out more about what most Christian's believe and where they get those beliefs from, I encourage you to go to the Bible.
2007-06-13 11:13:12 · answer #6 · answered by Marvelissa VT 6 · 2⤊ 3⤋
What I hate, is that they make the cover look enticing, and then I open up the book, and (lo and behold...!!!"
I lose my faith...
In good writing...
And I get naseous...
And then hide the book behind the other books in the Juvenile Science Fiction Section...
2007-06-13 11:18:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I read it when I was a Christian. I finished about the same number as you. It does seem like that is where they are getting it from, because those ideas certainly aren't new.
BTW, I enjoyed them from a literary standpoint: I love allegories and adaptations. I think that it is cool that the authors could take something as inconsistent, symbolic and trippy as the book of Revelation and turn it into a definite narrative.
2007-06-13 11:15:10 · answer #8 · answered by riven3187 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I read the first few. It does appear that is where they get most of their thoughts. Airplanes falling out of the sky.They have to get it from there. The bible really says nothing about such an important event,other than a couple of verses always taken out of context. People believe what they want to believe. I don't understand how they believe it. But they do
2007-06-13 11:14:46 · answer #9 · answered by nobodinoze 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with Steffers27. Forget Left Behind, and all other books. Read the Bible, it's accurate.
2007-06-13 11:12:59 · answer #10 · answered by poorejj 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋