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 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.