Left Behind Madness

I fear the phenomenon of the "Left Behind" series of books becuase they encourage the perpetuation of a theology that lives in the fanatasy world.  Not that Jesus isn't returning,  but "The Return" that is associated with this highly suspect "clippings" of supposed "prophetic forecastings" from widely removed and diverse Biblical passages,  and woven together into some timetable of events that has become a highly dogmatic package of apocalyptic events that has been added to the canon of key doctrines of conservative Christianity (which for many Christians is the only one they know or allowed to trust).  The success if these books is highly based,  in my estimation,  on their entertainment mixed with some sense of "eternal truth" and the "secrets" which are shared by a select few,  derived from the hand-picked collection of "Bible clips" a handful of "theologians" have "found" which reveal yet another facet of the great apocalypse that will be averted by the lucky ones. 

The Left Behind Books end up creating a community of fascination around mysterious unfoldings,  and buttressed by the political prejudices of their authors toward certasin groups whom they cast as agents of Satan in the grand scheme to deceive the world.  One of the most damaging effects of all this is the fatalistic notions of the world that it projects and encourages.  God has this thing that will happen,  and this certain enemmy,  usually indentified by some "striking coincidence" enhanced by the author,  is the signal that this shit is about to come down.   No amount of "earthly work" is going to stop this,  and to work toward what one considers good (especially in concert with those of "questionable theology") is of no ultimate good,  and is actually contrary to the grand plan.  

© Copyright 2003 Dale Lature. Last update: 9/23/2003; 3:35:41 PM.