Nicolas Cage film Left Behind

[VulcanWoman]

Well watched this film yesterday not really knowing what it was about but found it hateful and judgemental, did anyone else watch it? It's still playing on my mind unfortunately. The innocent and true believers in Jesus only were saved, well, taken from the earth and all the so called sinners left. I can understand them showing it on the likes of TBN but main steam TV. What do you think of it?

I think Humans need to strive to do better, to do the best we can, not to be perfect. I personally believe we are here to learn and grow, not necessarily to be happy or perfect.

vulcan- I agree, while I don't think we have a "purpose" life is a journey where we can learn about ourselves and best modify our behaviour to enrich our own lives and those of others.

I have a very mercurial/energetic type of personality. I love getting projects off the ground, providing ideas and impetus to get things moving. I am quick to change. Part of this is that I can snap, I can be quick to show a little temper, but also very quick to calm down. This is all part of the same personality aspect. I have learned over time to sometimes pause, think, take a breath so that my dealings with people go easier.

My OH is very laid back. He is accepting of people, very tolerant, rarely gets wound up, but is slow to get moving, inclined to be lazy and doesn't get excited about much. Again this is all part of his personality. He is learning that sometimes he needs to stir himself into motivation.

To see these aspects as flaws is crazy. While these aspects of our personalities may be seen as "flaws" I see them as part of being human. I wouldn't be who I am, not my OH him if we didn't have these character traits.

That's it, we are who we are, takes all sorts to make a world, thank goodness.
I have so many questions, it drives me potty sometimes, especially when I look up on a clear starry night. :0

To see these aspects as flaws is crazy. While these aspects of our personalities may be seen as "flaws" I see them as part of being human. I wouldn't be who I am, not my OH him if we didn't have these character traits.

I am getting déjà vu concerning this conversation, I think I might have had a similar conversation with you before, goblin.

I really do not attach a value judgement to people having flaws since I don't expect people to be perfect, so, to me, acknowledging flaws is not derogatory. I think the acknowledgement is an important part of a communal learning process, though, you acknowledge a flaw and then see how it can be overcome.

I do not see 'personality traits' necessarily as flaws either. A trait can be a strength or weakness given right circumstance. We can be entirely functional when we 'play to our strengths' and guard against our weaknesses. I also see personality as not being entirely fixed, people change all the time.

Are you an ENFP, goblin ?

I don't see personailty traits as flaws (I have similar ones to you) necessarily - although they may lead us into things that are selfish or unhelpful to others. For example, I lose my temper fairly easily, and I can then take it out on dh or dc in the most unfair way - that's a flaw in me. I can be fairly selfish, my energy and flair to do things can lead me to get annoyed with others who aren't on my wavelength which may lead to unhelpful gossip or me not being very patient. I try to be :)

Hi Anyway, saw this thread. I've never seen the film but here's my review, for a skeptics society, of the book!

"Not sure if this short review is appropriate for a Skeptic’s publication! Anyway you may or may not know of the “Left Behind” series of books. Wikipedia summarises it as: “Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: a pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world”.

This series has sold a gazillion (**) copies, mainly in Xtian fundi-parts of the English speaking world. They are best described as Xtian sci-fi detailing the adventures of various people left on the earth after the Rapture. The series got a rather po-faced comment by Christopher Hitchens; perhaps he took them too seriously.

But anyway, I hear you cry “What am I doing reading a Fundi text?” Well, on holiday in Barbados the hotel “library” - where I, among many others of course, leave their finished beach-reading for following guests - had two of the series: the first one “Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days”; and number 9 (I think), entitled “Apollyon”.

Nothing ventured, I tried the first (there was a biro’d phone number of the nearest church on the flyleaf BTW. Many lampposts on Barbados have flyers warning of the Apocalypse, and the latest preacher to save y’all.)

I have to say LB # 1 was fun, if you have a sense of humour; and well written for an airport novel. Well-paced, too: in the first chapter, our fallen hero, a pilot called “Rayford Steele”- a really “OK” name for this sort of book – is flying a Jumbo from Chicago to the UK overnight. He’s fed up with this Xtian-fundi wife, and contemplating a quick (adulterous!) fling with a stewardess on the UK lay-over. When stretching his legs on the plane, the same chick grabs him, terrified:
“Captain, the passengers have disappeared!”. Indeed, many have just gone, their clothes resting neatly on the seats! Yes, it’s the Rapture and the good (15% or so of the adults, I think, most of the children and, natch, all the unborn fetuses) have been removed to Paradise by JC.

The adventure continues when they turn back to O’Hare, the chaos in the US, and the gradual realization that they must Repent and Believe to combat the AntiChrist who is emerging from the United Nations…

As good as any Tom Clancy, and as SciFi stays true to its concept.

Alas #9 “Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed” Is unreadable, a less poetic trawl through Revelations with much lip-smacking suffering for the damned. I can’t be bothered to try any of others, I think they’re all like that.

So of course I don’t recommend you buy LB #1: but if you see it remaindered, or a cheap secondhand purchase, its worth a shot and you can leave it on the coffee table to spook your skeptic friends!