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Us atheists are fond of pointing out that blasphemy is a victimless crime. However, it can be entertaining. Check this out, from Conservapedia, an online encyclopedia for wingnuts who aren't satisfied with the level of right bias in Wikipedia. (Hat Tip Immoral Minority)
Liberal bias has become the single biggest distortion in modern Bible translations. There are three sources of errors in conveying biblical meaning are, in increasing amount:
* lack of precision in the original language, such as terms underdeveloped to convey new concepts introduced by Christ
* lack of precision in modern language
* translation bias in converting the original language to the modern one.
Experts in ancient languages are helpful in reducing the first type of error above, which is a vanishing source of error as scholarship advances understanding. English language linguists are helpful in reducing the second type of error, which also decreases due to an increasing vocabulary. But the third -- and largest -- source of translation error requires conservative principles to reduce and eliminate.
I wonder if us mos should do a version where Jesus was into musical theater, high fashion, and dark bars with hairy men.
If I were a Christian, I would be offended by this. Rewriting the Bible to fit a political ideology kind of makes a mockery of Christianity. The right fringe is getting sillier with each passing day.
Not just sillier but scarier. They had their "Golden Age" under the Bush Administration, and now some of their worst fears (perceived through the eyes of someone who is crazy) have come to past with Obama.
So naturally, what do they do to reinforce their wingnut ideology? Shape the bible to fit their purposes.
In the mind of crazies, this makes sense.
I first read about this new "translation" effort a few days ago. At the time, I thought that I had accidentally switched over to The Onion somehow.
It's hard to decide which of the 10 "guidelines" is the most appalling. Perhaps the "Express Free Market Parables" one. Makes me think of something like "The Holy Bible, As Translated by Ayn Rand."
It's kind of funny how they feel that the "liberals" have "later-inserted passages that are not authentic." But, then when these wingnuts want to add their laissez-faire nonsense, they're merely "explaining" what's already there.
"The Holy Bible, As Translated by Ayn Rand."
That would be just as funny, since she was an atheist who hated Christianity and communism for the same reasons. Her ideology was basically a rationalization for her Narcissistic Personality disorder.