VeraMaria Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Illinois Catholic Bishops Warn Against 'Left Behind' Books The wildly popular "Left Behind" book series may be a good read but it is bad theology, the Roman Catholic bishops of Illinois have told the state's 3.8 million Catholics. The state's six diocesan bishops urged Catholic libraries, bookstores, schools and parishes to no longer carry the "anti-Catholic" series because the 11 books contain a view of the end of the world that is not supported by Catholic teaching. "When Jesus told us to be alert and ready for his return, he also warned there would be false prophets," the bishops said in a statement. "One of the most attractively marketed recent false `prophets' has been the 'Left Behind' series." The bishops said they were prompted to speak out because lay Catholics read the books and started to ask questions, and because the books' publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, is headquartered in Carol Stream in their home state. Since their debut in 1995, the books have sold 43 million copies and spawned a line of related "Left Behind" movies, children's books and Bibles. The series' newest installment, "Armageddon," has spent the last seven weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. The books by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye are a fictional account of what happens after the rapture, when Christians are whisked away to heaven before a seven-year period of tribulation that precedes Jesus' final judgment and a literal 1,000-year reign. The "Left Behind" view of the "end times," known as "premillennial dispensationalism," is based on a literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation that is especially popular among evangelical Protestants. The Catholic Church, however, does not believe in a rapture of the church. Instead, it teaches that God's eternal kingdom will be established at the end of history when Jesus returns for the final judgment. The bishops labeled the books "anti-Catholic" for their treatment of Catholic characters, such as a pope who is swept up in the rapture after he embraces Protestant teachings, and an American cardinal who becomes the chief accomplice of the Antichrist. The bishops called the books a "thinly guised polemic against the Catholic Church" that has left Catholic children confused and frightened. "There is also real danger that Catholics persuaded by this agenda may judge other people on spiritual fitness for the `rapture,'" the bishops said. The authors, meanwhile, defended their books. "Our books are not anti-Catholic," LaHaye said in a statement. "In fact, we have many faithful Catholic readers and friends." Jenkins and LaHaye estimate that 8 percent of their readers are Catholic. Dan Balow, the series' development director for Tyndale, downplayed the dispute, saying Catholics and Protestants have disagreed on many theological issues. He also asked why it took the bishops eight years to criticize the books. What really matters, he said, is whether a person has accepted Jesus Christ as savior. "If a person hasn't done that, no matter what church they belong to, no matter what theology they believe in, they will be left behind," he said. It's not the first time the "Left Behind" theology has come under fire. In 2001, the Rev. A.L. Barry, the late president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, said the books portrayed a vision of "confusion, chaos and hysteria" that is inconsistent with Scripture. Later that year, the Presbyterian Church (USA) said the books' theology is "not in accord" with its understanding of the end times. Carl Olson, a Catholic convert whose new book "Will Catholics Be Left Behind?" critiques the "Left Behind" theology, said LaHaye and Jenkins have used their books to paint Catholics in a bad light. "(LaHaye) is an anti-Catholic, and I don't use that term loosely," Olson said. "He's a man who ... propagates and spreads ideas and stereotypes that are contrary to common sense and factual evidence, and does so to disparage Catholic practices and teaching, and does it in an unfair way." LaHaye, an evangelical minister who lives in Palm Springs, Calif., told the Chicago Tribune that "we want to win people to Christ in any way we can, and we would think the bishops would be for that endeavor because there are millions of people without a church." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulls Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 fiction fiction fiction fiction fiction fiction fiction fiction fiction i don't know why people get so fired up about these books. no matter what the authors claim they know, they really don't know anything. only Jesus knows. i understand that the books have been considered anti-Catholic, but besides that, i wouldn't sweat em one bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I Echo Echo Echo Echo Echo mulls post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 AMEN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basoldier Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I have to admit that I really have enjoyed the series, but not as much as the books by Bud MacFarlane about the coming tribulations. They have more of a Catholic perspective. Pierced By A Sword :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeraMaria Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 thanks for your replies. basoldier: Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!! B) :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke2219 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Catholic should not read these books. Or at least they should only read them to discover what they say knowing that they are wrong. Yes they are fiction, but they are presented as what will actualy happen. They are anti-Catholic. All Catholics need to know that what is in these books is NOT what the Church teaches. If you want to know where I'm comming from, or to learn more follow this link. Rapture and Related Topics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdewolf2 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 I only watched the movie, but I found it really, well, dumb. I used to be an evangelical but I never believed in any of that stuff anyway. There was a girl at the school I went to in tenth grade (Ross Corners Christian Academy) who always wore a t-shirt advertising the rapture: "Warning! This shirt may be evacuated at any time!" with a Bible verse on it. I thought, Just great! Talk about giving the unbelievers a good impression of Christians....Their women are likely to evacuate their shirts at any time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodsThespianChic Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Well, I like the books. *hides face in fear that everyone starts telling why it's wrong* I think they are good as fiction! I read them and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. I have read each one of the books and I don't think that they are really anti-Catholic...of course, I did read the earlier ones when I was younger. I don't expect that this is what is actually going to happen. I think it has a good story to it and good character development...I just like to read and these books keep me reading. I don't see anything wrong with them if you don't take them seriously...so I'm going to keep reading them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TempleofVesarius Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 they are writtten by an anti-catholic so of course some of that is reflected in his writing...but like mulls said FICTION as long as you have the fundamental ablility to distinguish between fiction and reality the books are good fiction....they never should have been made into a movie tho...they weren't that good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke2219 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 GodsThespianChic, you're right that you can read them if only for entertainment and you don't take them seriously. You can also play with a grenade as long as you don't pull the pin out. I don't think it's worth the risk. Yes, they are fiction, but so were all of Jesus' parables like the one about the prodigal son. They were fiction, but meant to show and example of reality. These books also intend to use fiction to describe reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysologus Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Two words: pop Christianity. Very palatable to the average Joe: if something is painful and difficult (the Tribulation), God will swoop you out of it into heaven if you believe in Jesus! That's my take on it and it makes me mad because life is full of suffering and God didn't spare his only-begotten Son, so what makes us think he'll spare us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeraMaria Posted September 1, 2003 Author Share Posted September 1, 2003 I still think that though it's fiction, it's not helping people get colser to God, and the authors are self-declared anti-Catholics too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 The money for those books only goes to further help the causes of the books' anti-Catholic authors. Why would any Catholic want to contribute to something anti-Catholic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeraMaria Posted September 1, 2003 Author Share Posted September 1, 2003 I don't know Dave, but that was a good way to put it! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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