For last night's bedtime story, SB asked me what I knew about "the rapture." I explained to him the idea held by various Christians including members of the the evangelical community that a period of time would occur when Christians would be brought to heaven at the end of the world, i.e. kingdom come, while all the non-believers would be left behind for the hellish end.
I related to him that when I was a teenager one of my neighbors gave me a book from the "Left Behind" series. It detailed the coming of the rapture but I was unaware of what it was at the time. The book began well enough. Then the plot started to get a bit wonky and soon enough, a very irritatingly preachy tone started to emerge. Being a bookworm I read it from cover to cover despite my misgivings but afterward was sure that I had been had.
SB had never heard of the "Left Behind" series which surprised me because it was quite a bestseller at the time. I compared it to the "Twilight" series or the "Harry Potter" series of books that are popular today. In fact, from what I could recall, the "Twilight" series involves chaste vampires who spent a lot of time pining and longing. SB's youngest sister is really into the books much like my younger cousins and older sister (heh) were into Harry Potter. I read a bit of both books with the family and found Harry Potter to be a good series of stories. I can't say the same for the "Twilight" series.
I can't remember if the "Left Behind" series was well written because I was so disgusted by being tricked into reading something that wasn't what it seemed to be. Which brought up a funny recollection to share with SB:
Back in university I had a summer job at a pool hall where I ran a weekly 9-ball tournament that attracted quite a few heavy hitters (who I didn't realize were such a big deal as I don't follow pool or billiards). I became friends with a lot of the characters who came out for the tournament but I especially liked a moderately unsuccessful pool shark named Paul. Luckily, Paul also knew this and had a day job. One day we were talking about our mutual like for history when he told me of a book that he had found at his girlfriend's house. It was a story about a knight during the dark ages...or so he thought. The beginning of the book started out with a nice description of the times followed by some brief character development and then a plot of two dueling knights. Then entered a lady. Then lots of panting. Then more panting, shirt ripping, and lots of descriptions of manhoods and swelling. It did not take Paul many more pages to realize that his historical novel was indeed a romance novel.
And the lesson today is that things are not always what they appear to be.
For those of my readers who are fervently awaiting the rapture, I came across this ideal adoption network of atheists who will also be left behind with the pets and can care for them, because you need to include all your loved ones in the rapture contingency plan.
I related to him that when I was a teenager one of my neighbors gave me a book from the "Left Behind" series. It detailed the coming of the rapture but I was unaware of what it was at the time. The book began well enough. Then the plot started to get a bit wonky and soon enough, a very irritatingly preachy tone started to emerge. Being a bookworm I read it from cover to cover despite my misgivings but afterward was sure that I had been had.
SB had never heard of the "Left Behind" series which surprised me because it was quite a bestseller at the time. I compared it to the "Twilight" series or the "Harry Potter" series of books that are popular today. In fact, from what I could recall, the "Twilight" series involves chaste vampires who spent a lot of time pining and longing. SB's youngest sister is really into the books much like my younger cousins and older sister (heh) were into Harry Potter. I read a bit of both books with the family and found Harry Potter to be a good series of stories. I can't say the same for the "Twilight" series.
I can't remember if the "Left Behind" series was well written because I was so disgusted by being tricked into reading something that wasn't what it seemed to be. Which brought up a funny recollection to share with SB:
Back in university I had a summer job at a pool hall where I ran a weekly 9-ball tournament that attracted quite a few heavy hitters (who I didn't realize were such a big deal as I don't follow pool or billiards). I became friends with a lot of the characters who came out for the tournament but I especially liked a moderately unsuccessful pool shark named Paul. Luckily, Paul also knew this and had a day job. One day we were talking about our mutual like for history when he told me of a book that he had found at his girlfriend's house. It was a story about a knight during the dark ages...or so he thought. The beginning of the book started out with a nice description of the times followed by some brief character development and then a plot of two dueling knights. Then entered a lady. Then lots of panting. Then more panting, shirt ripping, and lots of descriptions of manhoods and swelling. It did not take Paul many more pages to realize that his historical novel was indeed a romance novel.
And the lesson today is that things are not always what they appear to be.
For those of my readers who are fervently awaiting the rapture, I came across this ideal adoption network of atheists who will also be left behind with the pets and can care for them, because you need to include all your loved ones in the rapture contingency plan.
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