Bamboozled

[poliphilo]

Channel 4 boldly, and in the teeth of protests, gave over their prime-time Christmas slot to a show about how the Bible was written and edited by a succession of power elites and how anybody who thinks it's the unmediated word of God is stupid and/or dangerous.

I was taught this stuff at theological college thirty years ago, but it seems to be no more common knowledge now than it was then. The churches give the information to their clergy (fore-warned is fore-armed) but they don't encourage them to pass it on to the folks in the pews.

I find this mildly scandalous. It's nearly a hundred and fifty years since scholars first began to take the Bible apart. Their conclusions ought to be as much a part of the common culture as Darwin or Dickens.

And so should their methods. If we're awed by one text we'll be awed by others- and politicians, leader writers, newscasters, gurus and advertisers will continue to be able to manipulate and bamboozle us.

Comments

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Was it a decent programme? I'd have definitely watched it if it was half an hour, but 2 hours seemed a bit too long for me!

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

When I was about 10 or so, my maternal grandmother gave me a Bible quiz game for Christmas. My mother made her take it back because it was based on the Roman Catholic Douay version instead of the King James and "That book isn't the REAL Bible!"

sigh.....

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

If you know the title of the show, please let us know. Who knows? Maybe it will show up on BBC America over here sometime. I'll watch for it, just in case.

[thewayupward.livejournal.com]

I used to think, okay, after reading the KJV surely people can't take it all seriously? But apparently not. I don't know, I believe the word of God is perfect but the hands of men certainly aren't and well who does all the translations? Silly. Was it a good programme? What was it called? Are there any really good books on the subject - by which I mean, oh, stuff like who wrote the Bible and the history of it and everything - that you would recommend? I know some stuff but it's kind of picked up from articles and brief mentions in other books, which is no good really.

[silent-mouse.livejournal.com]

Would be interesting to compare the approaches to and conclusions of such Bible studies by Christian and Jewish (how do you make a adjective from Judaism?) scholars. Sadly, I'm not much of an expert, - I haven't even got a proper religious education, being a girl and all.
Once thing that strikes me - it's still considered a big No-No in the orthodox community, so I'm amazed to learn that you were taught about it at theological college! Then again, maybe it is taught to the more advanced students, but my feeling is that if it taught, it is taught as an example of lies that are out there.

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

It was a nun, actually, who taught me the meaning of things. Not only is there a danger in those who seek to change meaning, but also those who change language. Traduttore, traditore, she told me. Indeed, the translator is as much as traitor as he who changes the facts to suit his theory.

She told me that the true meaning of many things was hidden, even from those who spent their lives translating in the Vatican. I remember distinctly her comparing two bibles and showing me that one had translated a certain word to "love" and the other to "charity."

"Question everything," she said. And I do. Perhaps that makes me a better Catholic than most. That or we are both raving heretics. I don't think it matters as long as one realizes that there are more "Mysteries" than any creator could ever have intended.

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

damn, I missed that. The one thing I actually *wanted* to see too..