From The New York Times, 11/24/04:
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/24/opinion/24kristof.html

Apocalypse (Almost) Now

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF


If America's secular liberals think they have it rough now, just wait
till the Second Coming.

The "Left Behind" series, the best-selling novels for adults in the
U.S., enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone
who is not a born-again Christian.

The world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews and agnostics, along with many
Catholics and Unitarians, are heaved into everlasting fire:

"Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and . . . they tumbled in,
howling and screeching."

Gosh, what an uplifting scene!

If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this series, we would
furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering.

We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the co-authors of the series, have both
e-mailed me (after I wrote about the "Left Behind" series in July) to
protest that their books do not "celebrate" the slaughter of
non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture.

"We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic
and not currently politically correct," Mr. Jenkins said in an e-mail.

"That's our crucible, an offensive and divisive message in an age of
plurality and tolerance."

Silly me.

I'd forgotten the passage in the Bible about how Jesus intends to
roast everyone from the good Samaritan to Gandhi in everlasting fire,
simply because they weren't born-again Christians.

I accept that Mr. Jenkins and Mr. LaHaye are sincere.

(They base their conclusions on John 3.)

But I've sat down in Pakistani and Iraqi mosques with Muslim
fundamentalists, and they offered the same defense: they're just
applying God's word.

Now, I've often written that blue staters should be less snooty toward
fundamentalist Christians, and I realize that this column will seem
pretty snooty.

But if I praise the good work of evangelicals - like their superb
relief efforts in Darfur - I'll also condemn what I perceive as
bigotry.

A dialogue about faith must move past taboos and discuss differences
bluntly.

That's what blue staters and red staters need to do about religion and
the "Left Behind" books.

For starters, it's worth pointing out that those predicting an
apocalypse have a long and lousy record.

In America, tens of thousands of followers of William Miller waited
eagerly for Jesus to reappear on Oct. 22, 1844.

Some of these Millerites had given away all their belongings, and the
no-show was called the Great Disappointment.

In more recent times, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970's
was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," selling 18 million
copies worldwide with its predictions of a Second Coming.

Then, one of the hottest best sellers in 1988 was a booklet called "88
Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988."

Oops.

Being wrong has rarely been so lucrative.

Now we have the hugely profitable "Left Behind" financial empire,
whose Web site flatly says that the authors "think this generation
will witness the end of history."

The site sells every "Left Behind" spinoff imaginable, including
screen savers, regular prophecies sent to your mobile phone,
children's versions of the books, audiobooks, graphic novels, videos,
calendars, music and a $6.50-a-month prophesy club.

This isn't religion, this is brand management.

If Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins honestly believe that the end of the
world may be imminent, why not waive royalties?

Why don't they use the millions of dollars in profits to help the poor
- and increase their own chances of getting into heaven?

Mr. Jenkins told me that he gives 20 to 40 percent of his income to
charity, and that's commendable.

But there are millions more where that came from.

Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins might spend less time puzzling over obscure
passages in the Book of Revelation and more time with the
straightforward language of Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth."

Or Matthew 19:21, where Jesus advises a rich man:

"Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. . . . It will
be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So I challenge the authors to a bet: if the events of the Apocalypse
arrive in the next 10 years, then I'll donate $500 to the battle
against the Antichrist; if it doesn't, you donate $500 to a charity of
my choosing that fights poverty - and bigotry.

Gentlemen, do we have a deal?

____________________________________________________________

What would the America be without our resident cretins?

harry

From The New York Times, 11/24/04:
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/24/opinion/24kristof.html

Apocalypse (Almost) Now

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF


If America's secular liberals think they have it rough now, just wait
till the Second Coming.

The "Left Behind" series, the best-selling novels for adults in the
U.S., enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone
who is not a born-again Christian.

The world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews and agnostics, along with many
Catholics and Unitarians, are heaved into everlasting fire:

"Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and . . . they tumbled in,
howling and screeching."

Gosh, what an uplifting scene!

If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this series, we would
furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering.

We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the co-authors of the series, have both
e-mailed me (after I wrote about the "Left Behind" series in July) to
protest that their books do not "celebrate" the slaughter of
non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture.

"We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic
and not currently politically correct," Mr. Jenkins said in an e-mail.

"That's our crucible, an offensive and divisive message in an age of
plurality and tolerance."

Silly me.

I'd forgotten the passage in the Bible about how Jesus intends to
roast everyone from the good Samaritan to Gandhi in everlasting fire,
simply because they weren't born-again Christians.

I accept that Mr. Jenkins and Mr. LaHaye are sincere.

(They base their conclusions on John 3.)

But I've sat down in Pakistani and Iraqi mosques with Muslim
fundamentalists, and they offered the same defense: they're just
applying God's word.

Now, I've often written that blue staters should be less snooty toward
fundamentalist Christians, and I realize that this column will seem
pretty snooty.

But if I praise the good work of evangelicals - like their superb
relief efforts in Darfur - I'll also condemn what I perceive as
bigotry.

A dialogue about faith must move past taboos and discuss differences
bluntly.

That's what blue staters and red staters need to do about religion and
the "Left Behind" books.

For starters, it's worth pointing out that those predicting an
apocalypse have a long and lousy record.

In America, tens of thousands of followers of William Miller waited
eagerly for Jesus to reappear on Oct. 22, 1844.

Some of these Millerites had given away all their belongings, and the
no-show was called the Great Disappointment.

In more recent times, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970's
was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," selling 18 million
copies worldwide with its predictions of a Second Coming.

Then, one of the hottest best sellers in 1988 was a booklet called "88
Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988."

Oops.

Being wrong has rarely been so lucrative.

Now we have the hugely profitable "Left Behind" financial empire,
whose Web site flatly says that the authors "think this generation
will witness the end of history."

The site sells every "Left Behind" spinoff imaginable, including
screen savers, regular prophecies sent to your mobile phone,
children's versions of the books, audiobooks, graphic novels, videos,
calendars, music and a $6.50-a-month prophesy club.

This isn't religion, this is brand management.

If Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins honestly believe that the end of the
world may be imminent, why not waive royalties?

Why don't they use the millions of dollars in profits to help the poor
- and increase their own chances of getting into heaven?

Mr. Jenkins told me that he gives 20 to 40 percent of his income to
charity, and that's commendable.

But there are millions more where that came from.

Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins might spend less time puzzling over obscure
passages in the Book of Revelation and more time with the
straightforward language of Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth."

Or Matthew 19:21, where Jesus advises a rich man:

"Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. . . . It will
be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So I challenge the authors to a bet: if the events of the Apocalypse
arrive in the next 10 years, then I'll donate $500 to the battle
against the Antichrist; if it doesn't, you donate $500 to a charity of
my choosing that fights poverty - and bigotry.

Gentlemen, do we have a deal?

____________________________________________________________

What would the America be without our resident cretins?

From The New York Times, 11/24/04:
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/24/opinion/24kristof.html

Apocalypse (Almost) Now

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF


If America's secular liberals think they have it rough now, just wait
till the Second Coming.

The "Left Behind" series, the best-selling novels for adults in the
U.S., enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone
who is not a born-again Christian.

The world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews and agnostics, along with many
Catholics and Unitarians, are heaved into everlasting fire:

"Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and . . . they tumbled in,
howling and screeching."

Gosh, what an uplifting scene!

If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this series, we would
furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering.

We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the co-authors of the series, have both
e-mailed me (after I wrote about the "Left Behind" series in July) to
protest that their books do not "celebrate" the slaughter of
non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture.

"We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic
and not currently politically correct," Mr. Jenkins said in an e-mail.

"That's our crucible, an offensive and divisive message in an age of
plurality and tolerance."

Silly me.

I'd forgotten the passage in the Bible about how Jesus intends to
roast everyone from the good Samaritan to Gandhi in everlasting fire,
simply because they weren't born-again Christians.

I accept that Mr. Jenkins and Mr. LaHaye are sincere.

(They base their conclusions on John 3.)

But I've sat down in Pakistani and Iraqi mosques with Muslim
fundamentalists, and they offered the same defense: they're just
applying God's word.

Now, I've often written that blue staters should be less snooty toward
fundamentalist Christians, and I realize that this column will seem
pretty snooty.

But if I praise the good work of evangelicals - like their superb
relief efforts in Darfur - I'll also condemn what I perceive as
bigotry.

A dialogue about faith must move past taboos and discuss differences
bluntly.

That's what blue staters and red staters need to do about religion and
the "Left Behind" books.

For starters, it's worth pointing out that those predicting an
apocalypse have a long and lousy record.

In America, tens of thousands of followers of William Miller waited
eagerly for Jesus to reappear on Oct. 22, 1844.

Some of these Millerites had given away all their belongings, and the
no-show was called the Great Disappointment.

In more recent times, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970's
was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," selling 18 million
copies worldwide with its predictions of a Second Coming.

Then, one of the hottest best sellers in 1988 was a booklet called "88
Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988."

Oops.

Being wrong has rarely been so lucrative.

Now we have the hugely profitable "Left Behind" financial empire,
whose Web site flatly says that the authors "think this generation
will witness the end of history."

The site sells every "Left Behind" spinoff imaginable, including
screen savers, regular prophecies sent to your mobile phone,
children's versions of the books, audiobooks, graphic novels, videos,
calendars, music and a $6.50-a-month prophesy club.

This isn't religion, this is brand management.

If Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins honestly believe that the end of the
world may be imminent, why not waive royalties?

Why don't they use the millions of dollars in profits to help the poor
- and increase their own chances of getting into heaven?

Mr. Jenkins told me that he gives 20 to 40 percent of his income to
charity, and that's commendable.

But there are millions more where that came from.

Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins might spend less time puzzling over obscure
passages in the Book of Revelation and more time with the
straightforward language of Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth."

Or Matthew 19:21, where Jesus advises a rich man:

"Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. . . . It will
be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So I challenge the authors to a bet: if the events of the Apocalypse
arrive in the next 10 years, then I'll donate $500 to the battle
against the Antichrist; if it doesn't, you donate $500 to a charity of
my choosing that fights poverty - and bigotry.

Gentlemen, do we have a deal?

____________________________________________________________

What would the America be without our resident cretins?

harry

From The New York Times, 11/24/04:
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/24/opinion/24kristof.html

Apocalypse (Almost) Now

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF


If America's secular liberals think they have it rough now, just wait
till the Second Coming.

The "Left Behind" series, the best-selling novels for adults in the
U.S., enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone
who is not a born-again Christian.

The world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews and agnostics, along with many
Catholics and Unitarians, are heaved into everlasting fire:

"Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and . . . they tumbled in,
howling and screeching."

Gosh, what an uplifting scene!

If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this series, we would
furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering.

We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the co-authors of the series, have both
e-mailed me (after I wrote about the "Left Behind" series in July) to
protest that their books do not "celebrate" the slaughter of
non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture.

"We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic
and not currently politically correct," Mr. Jenkins said in an e-mail.

"That's our crucible, an offensive and divisive message in an age of
plurality and tolerance."

Silly me.

I'd forgotten the passage in the Bible about how Jesus intends to
roast everyone from the good Samaritan to Gandhi in everlasting fire,
simply because they weren't born-again Christians.

I accept that Mr. Jenkins and Mr. LaHaye are sincere.

(They base their conclusions on John 3.)

But I've sat down in Pakistani and Iraqi mosques with Muslim
fundamentalists, and they offered the same defense: they're just
applying God's word.

Now, I've often written that blue staters should be less snooty toward
fundamentalist Christians, and I realize that this column will seem
pretty snooty.

But if I praise the good work of evangelicals - like their superb
relief efforts in Darfur - I'll also condemn what I perceive as
bigotry.

A dialogue about faith must move past taboos and discuss differences
bluntly.

That's what blue staters and red staters need to do about religion and
the "Left Behind" books.

For starters, it's worth pointing out that those predicting an
apocalypse have a long and lousy record.

In America, tens of thousands of followers of William Miller waited
eagerly for Jesus to reappear on Oct. 22, 1844.

Some of these Millerites had given away all their belongings, and the
no-show was called the Great Disappointment.

In more recent times, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970's
was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," selling 18 million
copies worldwide with its predictions of a Second Coming.

Then, one of the hottest best sellers in 1988 was a booklet called "88
Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988."

Oops.

Being wrong has rarely been so lucrative.

Now we have the hugely profitable "Left Behind" financial empire,
whose Web site flatly says that the authors "think this generation
will witness the end of history."

The site sells every "Left Behind" spinoff imaginable, including
screen savers, regular prophecies sent to your mobile phone,
children's versions of the books, audiobooks, graphic novels, videos,
calendars, music and a $6.50-a-month prophesy club.

This isn't religion, this is brand management.

If Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins honestly believe that the end of the
world may be imminent, why not waive royalties?

Why don't they use the millions of dollars in profits to help the poor
- and increase their own chances of getting into heaven?

Mr. Jenkins told me that he gives 20 to 40 percent of his income to
charity, and that's commendable.

But there are millions more where that came from.

Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins might spend less time puzzling over obscure
passages in the Book of Revelation and more time with the
straightforward language of Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth."

Or Matthew 19:21, where Jesus advises a rich man:

"Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. . . . It will
be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So I challenge the authors to a bet: if the events of the Apocalypse
arrive in the next 10 years, then I'll donate $500 to the battle
against the Antichrist; if it doesn't, you donate $500 to a charity of
my choosing that fights poverty - and bigotry.

Gentlemen, do we have a deal?

____________________________________________________________

What would the America be without our resident cretins?

harry