Left Behind [The Trilogy] : Any Good?

[Rackhir]

Not sure I care what his religious beliefs are. Going through a book 2-3 pages at a time ripping it apart, and taking five years to do it, is pathetically obsessive. I think I'll pass, thanks all the same.

I mean, I don't even listen to my friends do that with movies for more than ten minutes. Who cares? It's a movie/book, ya know.

You seem to be missing the part where people have been praising how well written the Slacktivist's analysis is. It's not worth reading simply because it's talking about "Left Behind" or because it criticizes the book.

It's worth reading because it's very funny, well written and has some excellent insights into the books and the beliefs behind them. You really ought to at least read an entry or two before you dismiss it out of hand as pathetic. I suspect you could learn quite a lot from reading it.

 

[Darkwolf71]

You seem to be missing the part where people have been praising how well written the Slacktivist's analysis is. It's not worth reading simply because it's talking about "Left Behind" or because it criticizes the book.

It's worth reading because it's very funny, well written and has some excellent insights into the books and the beliefs behind them. You really ought to at least read an entry or two before you dismiss it out of hand as pathetic. I suspect you could learn quite a lot from reading it.

1) You seem to be missing the part where I don't care how much the masses praise it. Many of them seem to be along simply for the Christian bashing ride, so their opinions mean little to me anyway.

2) It has nothing to do with whether it is about Left Behind or Miss Gertrude's Basement. If you were to compile his rantings together they would be nearly as long as the book itself. That is just a stupid amount of overkill.

3) Perhaps you are in the habit of passing judgement without sampling. However, I am not and I'll thank you not to assume otherwise. I read the first, last and a couple of in between entries along with some of the associated comments and was not overly impressed. Therefore, "I'll pass" on wasting anymore time on them.

4) For what it's worth, if he had written this as a single or even 3-4 part article it might have been worth reading, it's the silly nit-picking style that turns me off.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Well, I just have to take issue with the "Christian-bashing" comment, and I hope I can do it in a grandma-friendly way (Mods, please do let me know if it's inappropriate).

I understand that you don't like the blog, and I'm not going to try to convince you further. But I want to address the issue of what the purpose of the LB posts is, which is to point out broad thematic elements within the book that are not only ridiculous from a literary perspective, but also in their own right anti-Christian.

Now, there's no way for me to go into those points in this forum (though please feel free to email me off list), but I think the author's point is not to "bash" Christians but precisely to defend what he sees as that which is "legitimately" Christian from that which is not. Now, you and others can of course disagree with him on that. I happen to agree. But again, we won't resolve this here, so I suggest we move on.

Now, what I find most valuable about Slacktivist's LB entries is that they enable me to understand both what it is about the novel that is compelling to many people, and also what it is about the novel that's so wrong, from a literary perspective (I already think I know what's wrong from a religious perspective).

Its by pointing out that people simply WOULDN'T act the way that these characters act in this situation, that they wouldn't say what these characters say or do what they do, and that to postulate characters who act this way is to imagine some very strange people, that those posts are of most value to me. If it were just some guy ranting, as you put it, I wouldn't be interested. But he's not ranting, he's analyzing, and as I think his analysis is dead on, I look forward to it. More to the point, because he's funny and insightful, I look forward to it.

But, as I say, to go into more detail isn't possible here.

 

[Darkwolf71]

Sorry, I did not mean to say that the author was Christian bashing. I don't think that at all. But I get the impression that many of his 'fans' are in it for exactly that, and I didn't see him stepping in to correct them. (Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Just saying I didn't see it.)

As for the way people would/wouldn't act. It's a fictional book, is it really that worth getting worked up about it? The theology is only their interpratation of how things could happen. Lehaye/Jenkins have never claimed that they had any special insight from God or anything of the sort. (Other people have said that, but that is a wholly different issue and in no way appropriate for ENW2) There are parts of the books I find very plausable. Others are, indeed, outright lame. But. Overall picture. They are fiction books. Period. IMHO, Slacktivist is taking them (and himself) far too seriously.

I appreciate the offer to take this off line, but that would require one of two things. Either I read the blogs or I re-read the books. Neither of which are high on my list of things to do. Ya know?

 

[Rackhir]

1) You seem to be missing the part where I don't care how much the masses praise it. Many of them seem to be along simply for the Christian bashing ride, so their opinions mean little to me anyway.

I can't really respond to this part without bothering Eric's grandmother. But I was recommending it based on multiple people posting here, not the number of people posting comments on his blog.

2) It has nothing to do with whether it is about Left Behind or Miss Gertrude's Basement. If you were to compile his rantings together they would be nearly as long as the book itself. That is just a stupid amount of overkill.

It's not ranting, the Slacktivist has a thoughtful and reasoned approach to things, irregardless of what you think of his beliefs and opinions. As far as the length goes, if he was just criticizing the book you'd have a point. However, he's using it as tool to discuss points of theology, spirituality and belief as well as the literary criticism.

3) Perhaps you are in the habit of passing judgment without sampling. However, I am not and I'll thank you not to assume otherwise. I read the first, last and a couple of in between entries along with some of the associated comments and was not overly impressed. Therefore, "I'll pass" on wasting anymore time on them.

Lacking telepathic powers and the ability to read your mind through the computer screen, I can only comment based on what you posted. It didn't seem like you'd bothered to actually ready anything of it, especially since you dismiss it as christian bashing.

I have found it to be quite educational personally. There's a lot of things that he mentions that I was unfamiliar with or didn't understand. So you might want to try not assuming malice in responses and perhaps giving people the benefit of the doubt as to their motives.

 

[Mouseferatu]

As for the way people would/wouldn't act. It's a fictional book, is it really that worth getting worked up about it?

Actually? Yeah.

In any book that involves people, I expect the author to make at least an effort to have them behave as people actually behave. And that means things that would cause widespread panic in the real world had damn well better cause widespread panic in the book, unless the author gives a very believable reason why they don't.

 

[Darkwolf71]

It's not ranting, the Slacktivist has a thoughtful and reasoned approach to things, irregardless of what you think of his beliefs and opinions. As far as the length goes, if he was just criticizing the book you'd have a point. However, he's using it as tool to discuss points of theology, spirituality and belief as well as the literary criticism.

Hmm, that may indeed change things. Where did he go to seminary? Get his theological degree? Where does he go to church and what, exactly are his doctrinal beliefs?

Lacking telepathic powers and the ability to read your mind through the computer screen, I can only comment based on what you posted. It didn't seem like you'd bothered to actually ready anything of it, especially since you dismiss it as christian bashing.

For which I have already apologised and corrected myself.

I have found it to be quite educational personally. There's a lot of things that he mentions that I was unfamiliar with or didn't understand. So you might want to try not assuming malice in responses and perhaps giving people the benefit of the doubt as to their motives.

Pot? Kettle? Indeed.

Actually? Yeah.

In any book that involves people, I expect the author to make at least an effort to have them behave as people actually behave. And that means things that would cause widespread panic in the real world had damn well better cause widespread panic in the book, unless the author gives a very believable reason why they don't.

I agree. Which is why I never finished the series and won't go back to re-read it. I just think that the point could have been made, oh I don't know... four and a half years ago?

 

[Fast Learner]

It's not ranting, the Slacktivist has a thoughtful and reasoned approach to things, irregardless of what you think of his beliefs and opinions. As far as the length goes, if he was just criticizing the book you'd have a point. However, he's using it as tool to discuss points of theology, spirituality and belief as well as the literary criticism.

Precisely. If it was Christian-bashing, there's no way I'd read it. It's his non-LB posts about Christianity that I find most fascinating, from a spiritual perspective. He's a very thoughtful person, and uses the LB crit to express some fascinating points.

 

[David Howery]

There was a lot to like about "The Stand," but I found the last third of the book to be very disappointing. The pointless killing off of major characters, the pointless trip to Las Vegas for no plot related pay off, and then, finally, a literal DEUS EX MACHINA at the end!

I dunno... the deux ex machina rather fits in the context of the novel, what with the literal otherwordly good vs. evil going on... I recently got the expanded 'uncut/complete' version of "The Stand" and found it to be very good... the added stuff is all good...

 

[GSHamster]

2) It has nothing to do with whether it is about Left Behind or Miss Gertrude's Basement. If you were to compile his rantings together they would be nearly as long as the book itself. That is just a stupid amount of overkill.

Not really about the books (I haven't read them), but this is an interesting way of looking at things. I'll grant reviewing each chapter is unusual, but it is really any different from reviewing individual episodes of a television show? Especially if you consider that a lot of television shows lately (especially in the scifi/fantasy) genre have become less episodic and more continuous.