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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

I did, though mostly secondhand (I had a couple of classmates who were into them). My main exposure to them was via an evangelical's huge multi-year writeup dissecting exactly why they were awful.

These things sold tens of millions and informed a huge number of Christians' religious views. Some highlights include:

  • The very first words of the very first book are "Rayford Steele's mind was on a woman he had never touched. With his fully loaded 747 on autopilot..."
  • Russia and Ethiopia fire their entire nuclear arsenals at Israel. This is because the authors see it as fulfillment of the Bible verse discussing "Gog and Magog." Divine intervention destroys every single missile and aircraft with no Israeli casualties. Somehow, this does not cause any of the characters to question their own religious beliefs.
  • The Rapture happens. Billions of people vanish overnight. Somehow, this exact fulfillment of the Rapture prophecy is treated as something between "Huh. I wonder if the Christians were right" and "That's just a kooky Christian theory, it was actually caused by the electromagnetism from nuclear weapons."
  • Less than a week after The Rapture, the world gets back to normal despite something like a third of the Earth's population having just disappeared. There is no sign of long-term trauma or logistical strain.
  • The Antichrist is a Romanian who takes over the world by ascending to the position of UN Secretary General. His evil plan includes dismantling the world's militaries and using the money saved on weapons to pay for the development of the Global South.
  • Female characters have two possible personalities: perfect tradwife and sinful harlot.
  • One of the later books includes a graphic, gory description of Jesus simultaneously exploding tens of thousands of people.
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[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

One of the later books includes a graphic, gory description of Jesus simultaneously exploding tens of thousands of people.

So Jesus is just Homelander in this universe?

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

That's a good way of putting it. Here's the excerpt in question:

CW: Gore

Rayford watched through the binocs as men and women soldiers and horses seemed to explode where they stood. It was as if the very words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to burst through their veins and skin.

… Tens of thousands grabbed their heads or their chests, fell to their knees, and writhed as they were invisibly sliced asunder. Their innards and entrails gushed to the desert floor, and as those around them turned to run, they too were slain, their blood pooling and rising in the unforgiving brightness of the glory of Christ.

… Their flesh dissolved, their eyes melted, and their tongues disintegrated.

… And Jesus had killed them all.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I forgot the character's name was Rayford lol, and damn that's some terrible writing.

this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
81 points (100.0% liked)

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