Author: Nicholas D. Kristof
Publication: The New York Times
Date: November 24, 2004
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?
