Sigh

[tree_and_leaf]

I was in Borders this afternoon, looking for a chocolate croissant, and noticed that Sarah Paretsky was coming to speak about her new novel tonight. Too late for me, alas.

On the other hand, I did get a very good book about the history of doctrine. But Border's 'Religion' section drives me up the wall. They jumble together Bibles and liturgy, academic theology, popular theology, devotional books (mostly American), utter rubbish of the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail type, some books on magic that I suspect were misfiled, and ghastly novels like the Left Behind series, which certainly shouldn't be in the non-fiction section. You can't find anything. Blackwells is much better: a far bigger selection and categorised by someone who knows something about the subject (and no Baigent and Leigh or LeHay, or whatever the guy is called, which is a good thing). On the other hand, they do sometimes have good books, particularly from American publishers, which Blackwells sometimes don't - such as Pelikan's history of Christian Doctrine.

/rant...

Comments

[gramarye1971]

I've noticed the disorganised nature of the Religion section at my own local chain bookstores as well. One of the bookstores does make some effort at sorting out the differences by having a separate section for 'Bibles' and for 'Christian Inspiration', but that still means that you get C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity put next to the Left Behind books, which offends me to the point where I have to walk away quickly, lest I go and turn the Left Behind books (which are nearly always displayed face-forward, so as to give them more prominent shelf-space) so that the back cover is facing out.

Admittedly, it also erks me that recent spate of 'Popular Philosophy' books are mixed up with works like Plato's Republic, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil. But Lewis and LeHaye should practically be on opposite sides of the store...or preferably not even IN the same store.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes - I've never read much of Left Behind (which I keep wanting to call 'Spirited Away', which is a bit of an insult to a fine animated film), but it appears to be, in my view, a very dangerous heresy (and eye-bleedingly badly written into the bargin). In any case, though, it's fiction - one usually doesn't find Lewis' science fiction in the religion section. On the other hand, there are reasons why non-Christians might want to read Lewis' SF that don't apply to LeHay's (such as literary quality, and interesting ideas).

I wonder where the Rapture idea got started? There's no trace of it in mediaeval theology or popular piety (or popular heresy) that I've found.

[gramarye1971]

I've heard varying information about the origin of the Rapture and its use by the LeHayes et al., but I think it comes from some text or other (possibly in Revelation) that mentions how the faithful will be 'lifted up' -- I'm not sure exactly what the context is, but I think it alludes back to some of the Old Testament patriarchs (Elijah?) who were taken up bodily and never actually died per se. There might also be some hints of the old Roman Catholic and Orthodox interpretation of Mary's Assumption, but from what I know most evangelical Protestant sects that believe in the Rapture have nothing but contempt for the Marian tradition.

Whatever it is, it's a strange belief that's spawned no end of interpretation. I remember hearing about an old film about the Rapture, showing scenes that included a man mowing his lawn being taken up and the lawn-mower continuing to move. Apparently, a parody of that film was made, where the lawn-mover was Raptured and the man was left behind. *snerk*

[tree_and_leaf]

Now I think about it, there's a bit in one of the Gospels which talks about people being snatched away; but from the context (it's a prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem, I always took it as a metaphor for death, possibly epidemic disease. But that's what you get for trying to read whole chapters or even whole books, not isolated verses).

It's very depressing, but this sort of stuff is almost enough to make one feel that the mediaeval theologians who thought that the Bible was too dangerous to let loose on uneducated laymen had a point - it's truly vile theologically!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

it's truly vile theologically!

I rather like the Good Omens take -

“well, what I'm trying to say is who has time to go round picking people out and popping them up in the air to sneer at the people dying of radiation sickness on the parched and burning earth below them? If that's your idea of a morally acceptable time, I might add.”

[tree_and_leaf]

Absolutely! I had forgotten that - it's ages since I read 'Good Omens', I obviously should again.

The 'sneering at the people dying of radiation sickness' actually pinpoints what seems to be the most disturbing thing about the LB books - they are so smug and self-congratulatory. If they seemed to be honest preachers of the 'Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand' school, inviting people to actually change, and to show some are for their neighbours, (rather than sign up to a rather esoteric list of doctrines) because of the imminent return of Christ, I might think them mistaken, but they wouldn't make me feel quite so ill.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Yes - I got a definite impression from the LB books that the reader was to assume s/he would be one of the lucky ones, but some fellows of their own church (ie. the ones the reader doesn't like) would be less fortunate. Serves them right for quarreling over the flower rota.

[mrs-wolf.livejournal.com]

I always thought the Rapture was started in the early to mid 1800's in America, when everyone was slain by the Spirit and so on. But I might be wrong.

I trudged through all of Left Behind simply because it was on the bestseller list and it was affecting America so much. (I didn't know many Christians who hadn't read it, and I know alot of Christians.)

It's LaHaye, though I find your misspelling very endearing. Jenkins, is the true (ly awful) writer. LaHaye did the "research." LaHaye writes some equally bad books on ethics and his wife writes books on how to be a good wife. They were never very popular until the Left Behind came out, and now they do reasonably well.

Some info here: http://www.jerryjenkins.com/faqs.html#LB7

Waaah!

[tree_and_leaf]

I'm now very, very scared.

I know loads of Christians who haven't read it, if that's any consolation. And I have to say... it doesn't really sound that Christian, particularly in its take on morality, if the blog aervir linked to is any indication. There seems to me to be more Christian teaching in Harry Potter!

Re: Waaah!

[mrs-wolf.livejournal.com]

See, you're in England, so by default, your countrymen (and women) at least believe in good literature. (Not that there isn't excellent American literature, but it doesn't seem to be as well respected here, special affects rule.)

Christian literature is one of the more fascinating bits to American Christianity. Certainly quite lucrative. But it's very frightening. Maybe you picked up on the threads of misogyny in Left Behind? Well, that's normal. And the trussed up romance. Urgh. They read like dime novels, except worse.

Sadly, all my relatives believe Harry Potter to be witchcrafty. Obviously they haven't actually propped open the books, so...anyway. They all think I'm going to hell for reading The Bhagavad-Gita. Might as well be hung for a dragon as an egg, eh?

[aervir.livejournal.com]

I wonder where the Rapture idea got started?

Actually, it's all an Englishman's fault, i.e. that of the Anglo-Irish guy John Nelson Darby. He was one of the most influential teachers among the Plymouth Brethren and is probably the person who came up with the idea of the Rapture, founding the theology of Dispensationalism (which has some connections with the ideas in the Left Behind series).

You can find more about dispensationalism on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism). I haven't got any idea, though, how accurate this article is, as my own knowledge of the subject matter is very, very limited as well.