Debunking premillenial dispensationalism

[noordinaryspider]

Please forgive my ignorance. I could never get past the first couple of chapters of the first Left Behind book because it was boring so I have almost four years worth of history to catch up on.

I have a twelve year old child who was deeply hurt by theological malpractice shortly after 9/11. I was hoping some DUer could recommend a book for him that can explain that the fundies do not speak for Jesus and that Christianity is not a hate crime.

I have a long wish list on Amazon but limited financial means and could do with all the help I can get.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

[LARED]

1. Give the child a Bible. (n/t)

[noordinaryspider]

3. He has a gazillion of them....

...and won't read them. :(

The Message, although a paraphrase, was what helped me get through the first year or so after our experience with some faith left that there was still some good in the world.

I realized after I posted this thread that it is in the wrong forum. I am a newbie and would appreciate it if someone could tell me how I could move it to the Religion and Theology subforum of the non-political issues forum????

I'm such a dork.

<cringe>

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I was 12 when I read

The Passover Plot, which radically changed my thinking about Jesus and what it meant to be a Christian or to follow a spiritual path. Took me a while to sort through it all. If your child had some sort of encounter that has made him question his faith, let him question-but with guidance, preferably by someone who is open and who lives their faith. Could even be a non-Christian, if you're open to that. But it needs to be someone who is willing to listen and to understand your child's distress.

[Rumba]

2. Theological malpractice?

What happened?

[noordinaryspider]

6. Some 20 year old kid put the fear of heaven in him....

...and the view of Heaven that was presented was pretty terrifying. My kid had the sense to realize that he did not want to be doomed to a life among homophobic judgemental assholes and began doing everything he could to make sure he would go to hell. He was little, so it was mostly limited to petty vandalism, cursing, seeking out The Church of Satan on the internet, etc.

I am a single mother. His father and I are happily divorced. The church we were going to began answering every question from, "Are Stacy and Miles still getting married this weekend in spite of the WTC attack?" to "What time is the service this Sunday?" with the phrase, "Wouldn't it be LOVELY if you got back together with your ex?"

No. It wouldn't be. My ex has substance abuse issues and I have codependancy issues. Our marriage was toxic. Our divorce and subsequant friendship are not.

My child grew up in San Francisco and has many friends with gay parents.

If everyone a nine year old kid knows would be in hell, why would he want to go to heaven? His behavior makes sense to me now. His wounds need to be healed. His hatred for everything even remotely Christian is dangerous to himself and others.

Now that he is older, he has a right to understand what happened then and what is happening in America today.

I'm only starting to understand it myself.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Id get in touch with

Christians who practice Christianity and introduce your child to them. Since I'm not sure of the child's readin level/sophistication, I am hesitant to suggest any reading material.

The Dances of Universal Peace www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org has a nice selection of tapes and CDs of dances from the Christian tradition which are good, as well as dances for children.

Any of Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz's books on Christianity would be good if you are of a scholarly bent, as these works cite the words of Jesus in Aramaic, with direct translations into English. You might find inspiration there to talk with your child about Christianity and its meaning.

[checks-n-balances]

7. Coupla suggestions...

Here's a short & readable (and actually, not dogmatic) book that contains lots of de-bunking of stuff that fundamentalist youth groups get into, including "Left Behind" theology:

"Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0664501095/ref=sib_rdr_dp/102-4906358-9012909

(I noticed there was a used copy for about $5)

Also, if you two ever have occasion or desire to attend an Episcopal church, do a little research and find out if there is a Journey to Adulthood program for youth. It is a great way to find a "safe place" to ask lots of questions with adult mentors. Info here:

http://www.edow.org/news/window/june2003/j2a.html

I'm a single mom too and my son has benefited from that program, especially in the role model area.

Keep us posted on how your journey goes...

[cjmr]

8. A website I can't recommend enough!

reallivepreacher.com

Although he did have a server crash yesterday and the site won't be back up for a week, according to his blog.

He is an independant Baptist minister who strongly believes in living his faith. He is open to questions and answers thoughtfully. And he's been reading and debunking the Left Behind series on his blog for about a year now.