Best-selling Bible To Undergo Revision

[Purveyor]

(09-01) 08:10 PDT Palos Heights, Ill. (AP) --

The top-selling Bible in North America is undergoing its first revision in 25 years.

The update to the New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, promises to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text.

--CLIP
Past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences have been plagued by controversies about gender language. Supporters say such changes are more accurate and make the Bible more accessible, but critics contend they twist meaning or smack of political correctness.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/01/national/a081020D89.DTL#ixzz0Ps3gL435

[sharp_stick]

1. Are they going to put a parental warning on it?

I mean any book with all that sex, incest, bestiality and death deserves as much warning as say a Nine Inch Nails recording.

[T Wolf]

2. Who are THEY to edit Gawd's given word? How can there possibly be more than one

unerring version of the truth?

[Soylent Brice]

3. and this is the obvious flaw with religion:

the ability to self-edit religious rules, that have been the cause of death for human beings. how odd is it that you can believe one thing to the point you murder another over it, and then find out it may have been edited out, or altered, out of the "latest version".

dangerous, and reckless.

[gratuitous]

4. "Critics contend they twist meaning"

Actually, what twists the meaning of these texts is referring to the deity in exclusively masculine terms, or confining the universality of pronouncements to one sex or the other: basically forcing a gender choice because proper English demands it where no such exclusion exists in the native language.

That's why it's a good idea to revisit translations from time to time, and adjust the translation to reflect a better understanding of the ancient language, update the wording to make sense to our own ears, and serve as the basis for the proper use of the scripture, as one tool among many to be used in a congregation to further understanding. I'm immediately suspicious of any congregation that proclaims to have "the" answer out of a collection of 66 books assembled from disparate writings and authors over the course of several centuries. There are certain broad concepts that are apparent from the writings of the Bible, but their applicability, adaptation, and use have to be redefined and readopted from generation to generation.

[orleans]

5. so...they're rewriting the bible. didn't someone already do that? n/t

[MineralMan]

8. Numerous times.

[randr]

6. Am I to assume the his royalness, "GOD", is about to make an appearence?

Is not the holiest of holies not hand written by the grand poohbah hisself?

[MineralMan]

7. Why can't they just accept the King James Version of 1611?

Hell, wasn't that the one God dictated to the scribes or something. If God didn't speak English, why is the Bible in English?

KJV or BUST!

[Retrograde]

29. Yeah, it was good enough for Jesus

I think it's a matter of what you grew up with. I find the KJV rather stilted, but then I was raised on the Douay version, which has been modified so often over the centuries that it's not really that anymore.

[mzteris]

9. are they putting it under

FICTION?

[Javaman]

10. Oh goody!!! I hope it comes with scratch and sniff panels!!!

I prefer this one better than the See and Say version, I mean really, the Pontiff goes: wave...I mean WTF? Wave? How in gods name did they come up with a sound for waving?

[Forkboy]

11. The first page will now read....

The story is complete fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

[elocs]

12. Although it must stick in the craw of unbelievers

the Bible is still the #1 bestselling book in the history of the world and no other book is even close. I know some very conservative Christians who would not even think to accept the NIV as being legitimate. It's the KJV all the way for them although some will accept the New KJV.

Remember: God is not responsible for the actions of all who claim to be believers and neither is God responsible for those who pervert Christianity. My guess is that even here at DU we have more than a few members who are devout and practicing Christians and who could be an example for all of us. Why last time I heard even our current president is a Christian.

[wuushew]

13. actually Mao's little red book may have a larger printing volume

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

If Harry Potter lasts another 2,000 years I am sure it has a chance of out performing the Bible.

[elocs]

24. Here's where I got my info & it shows Mao at #2:

http://www.booksellerworld.com/bestselling-booksever.htm

Top Ten Best Selling Books of All Time
Worldwide Bestsellers



# Title Author Copies Sold
1 The Bible 6 billion
2 Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung Mao Tse-Tung 900 million
3 The American Spelling Book Noah Webster 100 million
4 Guiness World Records (2003) 94 million
5 The World Almanac and Book of Facts World Almanac Books 73 million
6 The McGuffey Readers William Holmes McGuffey 60 million
7 Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care Dr. Benjamin Spock 50 million
8 A Message to Garcia Elbert Hubbard 40 million
9 In His Steps What Would Jesus Do Rev. Charles Monroe Sheldon 30 million
10 Valley of the Dolls Jacqueline Susann 30 million

At 6 billion the Bible is still way out in front and I would suspect that the KJV would account for most of them. The first Bible printed was by Gutenberg in the 1450s, so that pretty much takes up most of those 2000 years.

Your post contains those 2 big words: "may" and "if".

[DireStrike]

16. It's not surprising at all

The ideology is designed to make people believe it... it is still around because it works on many people.

[percussivemadness]

17. well said, I find it somewhat laughable

that some posters on this site denounce Christianity based on the RW fundamental patients preaching their "brand" of Christianity. They renounce their faith and thus become "intelligent", the very act of which also dismisses the ancient societies of the world who all had faith in something higher. This unbelievable arrogance mystifies me.

I do not recognize organized religion, however I am a Christian. To say bible revisions somehow prove that faith is a scam is not only naive, it misses the point completely.

[SleeplessInAlabama]

54. Are you suggesting that Zeus really did throw lightning bolts at people?

Or does Christianity also "dismiss" such ancient "faith(s) in something higher"?

To me ancient mythology is a better indication that faith is a scam than Bible revisions, although continuous Bible revisions and re-interpretations certainly don't put the document in a good light.

[redqueen]

18. Which version?

Or does that include all versions?

[BlooInBloo]

38. Yes, we know. God gets all of the credit, and none of the blame...

It's one of the cuter foibles about people-hating religions.

[Ignis]

43. Our former President was also a Christian.

So that's 1 for 2. Not great odds, eh? :shrug:

[elocs]

44. Which of our past presidents was not a Christian or at least a deist? n/t

[Ignis]

45. Exactly my point. Thanks! (nt)

[elocs]

47. The point is that religion and Christianity gave us both good and bad presidents.

Other than that, what is the point. My point is that while Obama would certainly defend everyone's right to sing a different tune, he wouldn't join in with the anti-Christian chorus that usually is heard here at DU.

[Ignis]

53. Yes, so mentioning Obama's Christianity is a moot point.

He couldn't get elected in the Great Ole Yoo Ess of Eh without being a Christian. So this comment:

My guess is that even here at DU we have more than a few members who are devout and practicing Christians and who could be an example for all of us. Why last time I heard even our current president is a Christian.

...adds nothing to the discussion other than to imply that "good Christians" = "good people."

Torquemada was a good Christian. Good person? Not so much.

Also, the "anti-Christian chorus that is usually heard here at DU" (emphasis mine) is more often anti-hypocrisy, anti-authoritarianism, anti-bigotry, and anti-fearmongering than specifically opposed to the teachings of Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth. Given the religious makeup of the USA, it's also exceedingly likely that this "anti-Christian chorus" :eyes: is primarily composed of posters who were raised as Christians themselves.

But I'm sure you knew that. :hi:

[elocs]

56. Obama is simply the current president and he is a Christian.

I believe his faith is genuine and not simply a ploy to get elected. Christian are pretty much like everyone else--there are good and bad ones. You don't have to be around DU long before you are exposed to the anti-Christian attitude here.

But I'm sure you knew that. :hi:

[Ignis]

58. But to imply that anti-Christianism is the norm is disingenuous.

Most of those on DU who critique the leaders, policies, and politics of contemporary Christian churches do so out of a desire for reform, not out of bigotry.

There's no reason to pretend to be a persecuted minority when you're a member of the vast, powerful, controlling majority, is there?

[Gormy Cuss]

46. It's sad that some believers can't accept that even the KJV is a translation

and subject to the same tests of legitimacy as NIV and other English language versions.

It's also sobering to try to show literalists that using the same scholarship today would result in a very different word use. The text is so much simpler and easier to understand when it loses the antiquated pronouns and verbiage. When I was a little kid saying the Lord's prayer I couldn't figure out why God was so obsessed with trespassers. I also know that most of us kids thought that "ye" and "thou" were just the Holy Language that God talked.

Later on of course I figured it out but it was so needlessly confusing to read those older translations. The first time I read a modern English translation it was a revelation, no pun intended.

[elocs]

48. In a previous religious life I often used Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

to study the meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek used in the scriptures to determine as best as I could just what was meant by the original authors. The New KJV version is very familiar to anyone who has grown up with the KJV except it gets rid of the thees and thous and the archaic language and is easier to read and understand.

[Lance_Boyle]

50. That's just reflective of number padding from the assholes

who stick one in every hotel room.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. Although it must stick in the craw of believers...

God doesn't exist, he's just a stupid fairy tale.

And no matter how many Bibles are sold, either to fill the drawers of new hotels, or those little pocket versions missionaries give away, it won't change that fact.

"Remember: God is not responsible for the actions of all who claim to be believers and neither is God responsible for those who pervert Christianity."

Then according to that logic, God is not omnipotent.

[Stevenmarc]

14. NIV oh you mean Bible for Dummies

[Hekate]

15. Silly Evangelicals. Make your children learn Hebrew and Greek.

My thankfully ex first son in law used to argue fiercely with me that the Bible was a single book written in a single voice (Gawd's). One thing the Jews learn early in their lives is that the Bible is many books written over many centuries with many authors/editors because they can see the "voice" change if they read it in the original. All that is lost when it is translated into a single language by a committee, and it becomes easy to believe as my ignorant ex SIL does.

Hekate

[TokenQueer]

19. I hear this version will include a pop-up ark and Mary Magdalene centerfold.

:evilgrin:

[muffin1]

26. Bwwaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

:spray:

[erehwon2]

51. Why stop there

Hell, throw in a few action DVDs while we're at it. Let George Romero redo Ezekiel, get Tim Burton to stop-motion the very first Zombie movie of all time as the corpses (some of dem dry bones) emerge to do battle with the unrighteous.

For the porn scenes, the possibilities are endless.

There's even room for a sequel: Leviticus Shrugged

As a bonus feature on the DVD, I'd suggest The Life and Times of King James of Bible Fame, he was one hell of a character in his own right. Apparently his sex life was rather advanced.

I'm a Book of Matthew kind of guy, but I also can't resist the bizarre shit in that fantastic book.

So without further ado, here's a link to an old chestnut that some of you might not have seen already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kqqMXWEFs

Disclaimer: I'm an ex-Southern Baptist, my paternal granddad was an old-school preacher who actually had to attend seminary, read the fucking bible, and learn Greek and Hebrew. Them days is gone, y'all.

[BlooInBloo]

20. Nice of gawd to keep correcting himself.

[LostInAnomie]

34. Don't you mean: "Nice of the infallible God to keep correcting himself"

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

36. Close: infallible gawd correcting himself infallibly. Until the next correction...

Which will also be infallible, naturally. Or divinely. Or whatever.

[Blackhatjack]

21. Get a Hold Folks... True Conservatives Only Acknowledge the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible...

... they ignore the NIV for being too liberal.

After all, the Old English translation is much more understandable to them than plain English.

[Kaleva]

27. That's the version I use....

and I don't consider myself to be a conservative.

[gkhouston]

30. The slant of some of the commentary in the footnotes is a bit conservative for my taste, but

considering how extensive the footnotes are in the NIV, that's hardly surprising.

[Kaleva]

32. I grew up with the KJV...

and feel comfortable with the thees, thous, smites and men getting women pregnant just by knowing them.

[BlooInBloo]

37. Who the fuck is King James? I want the GOD version of the "bible"...

Oh - wait - small problem with that...

[Initech]

22. Just goes to show you the fundie mentality:

They think the Bible should change and evolve with the times. Despite the fact they don't believe in evolution. But changing and adapting the constitution to evolve with the times? That is forbidden territory to them. :eyes:

[TommyO]

23. Are they going to put a standard disclaimer in it?

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

[slackmaster]

25. If it's the unerring word of God, how could anyone revise it in good conscience?

:dunce:

[Maru Kitteh]

28. They're probably going to take all that "loving thy neighbor" and "care for the sick" stuff out of

it. I mean, it's like Jesus was some commie liberal or something.

[MineralMan]

31. Nah, none of them read Matthew anyhow.

Their preachers read a little from the Gospels at Christmas and Easter, then it's back to Paul's misogyny and itchy, bleeding hemorrhoids. A little of that goody-goody-two-shoes Jesus stuff goes a long ways for those fundamentalcases.

Fundamentalist Christianity has little to do with Jesus, and much to do with Paul's fundament, it seems to me. Grouchy old bachelor, pissed off at everyone who's having any fun.

And then there's Revelation (referred to by almost all fundies as Revelations). You gotcher fire and brimstone in there. You gotcher beasts and demons and antichrists and whatall. Who needs any more to get those offering plates brimming with evil lucre?

Nah, those Gospel namby-pambies are just there for the Christmas and Easter stories. Just ignore the rest and it's all good.

[Maru Kitteh]

40. I think I saw something about that in the paper. Article entitled "Matthew's Jesus so Last Year"

"Brimstone the New Black"

[MineralMan]

41. Maybe we can call them "Revelationaries" or something.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

33. They messed up KJV with a revision BIG TIME

I'm pretty sure they did it on purpose too.


I gave my edition away and then found out it was out of print.

I couldn't find the pre-revision one anywhere. I have so many Bibles around here now, thinking I'd bought the right one.

Finally I found someones Family Bible on Ebay. I opened it up to a random spot and put my hands on the pages and felt chills.

Weird huh?

[Nye Bevan]

35. I hope they make the ending a bit more upbeat

That apocalypse stuff was a bit of a downer.

[old mark]

39. Is this the version with the blond blue eyed jesus riding the dinosaurs

in all the cartoons?

Be better if he didn't hang out with all those jews, too....

mark

[cbdo2007]

42. Genesis 1:001

Maybe they're going to include 100 Million years of evolution in the new version.

[Matariki]

49. Gender was twisted in the translation in the first place

The God (gods?) in the book of Genesis for instance is feminine with a masculine plural in the original Hebrew.

[Brother Buzz]

52. I'll wait for the R Crumb version

He's completed the Book of Genesis (all 50 chapters) and it will be released soon. I hope he can do the entire bible before I'm scheduled to be raptured.

[RagAss]

55. ,,,,