5.20.2010

Book Ideas

A book of scripture. Something not unlike the Book of Mormon, but transparent in it's having been invented.

The story of Jesus told from the First person. (i'm sure a book like this must already exist, but my search for one has been fruitless)

The rapture, Armageddon and the second coming, told from the perspective of non-believers who, though ultimately convinced of it's reality do not convert because of God's ridiculous brutality. Kind of like a counterpoint to the 'Left Behind' series, which does portray God as being ridiculously brutal, but somehow makes it seem good.


A person follows their heart despite the well reasoned opposition of everyone he knows and at the end discovers he was totally wrong and his life is ruined.

4 comments:

Vincent said...

As for the book of scripture, there is the Aquarian Gospel, which is like the book of Mormon, but purports to have been transcribed from the Akashic Records. To me, the book of Mormon and the Aquarian Gospel are both invented. That's because I am not a believer. Perhaps invented in the sense of the author "following his heart" to an unknown degree.


Have you heard of Philip Pullman's new book "The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ"? It's not a first person narrative, just written by an atheist. It is quite respectful though. I think the first person telling would break a taboo, and nobody has got there yet; i.e. nobody is going to set himself up as able to see things the way Jesus did.

Though one might interpret the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" as approaching a first-person narrative. It was based on a book of the same name by Nikos Kazantsakis.

There is a novel, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ" which though not written in the first person, appears from its title to have been written from Jesus' point of view.

Vincent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
crystal said...

your last idea reminds me a little of some of the stories by jonathan goldstein in "ladies and gentleman, the bible". these stories are all very humorous, though they portray the god of the old testament as a supreme bully.

Chris Almond said...

Vincent, that book by philip pullman sounds really cool, I would like to check it out.
I am somewhat familiar with the Aquarian Gospel, I have briefly perused through it, though I need to re look it up and to refresh my memory.
@crystal,
I've heard a couple of stories from that book on Jonathon Goldstein's podcast. (have you heard it? Wiretap? It is excellent), but I really want to read the book.
Did you know some early Christian sects believed the old testament God to have been an evil God?