Bayn wrote:Unfortunately, it has been translated, mistranslated, and so on and so on throughout the ages. Thus, modern day Christians are regarding a horribly inaccurate text as the "Word of God". No wonder Christian societies throughout the world are in such dreadful shape!
A "horribly inaccurate text?" Christian societies are "in dreadful shape?" Bayn you must be one of foremost Biblical scholars in the world to pronounce such harsh judgment with such an authoritative tone. Clearly, you must be an expert in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek and have read the Bible through and through in its original language to be able to say in your properly educated and learned opinion that the Bible is "horribly inaccurate." Of course, you must hold two or more graduate degrees in (any of the following): Biblical (OT & NT) Studies, Religion/Theology, Semitic Languages/Studies, Classical Philology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Classical Archaeology.
Having spent years studying critical issues on Hebrew/Greek grammar and syntax, you can surely describe to us the main contentions of BOTH sides of scholarly opinion on umm, say . . . the text/source critical arguments for and against of the ever so infamous documentary hypotheses or the Q-gospel.
In terms of exegesis and text criticism, you have undoubtedly mastered this long ago and can properly translate and exegete any part of the Biblical text for us (hey, why don't you trying doing for us Genesis 18:1-15, that was my text for my advanced Hebrew exegesis class and I have to admit I spent HOURS slaving over it).
And of course, since we're talking about inaccuracies of the Biblical text, you can name for us the ten top critical issues in both the Old Testament and New Testament, explain the arguments in defense AND against these objections, and their significance to the overall immediate context and Biblical overal context (essay format and endnote citation preferred
). In order to do that, however, like the good scholar you are, you're going to have to cite and quote the leading authorities pertinant to these issues to support your claims, AND point to your own research on the subject (papers, books, lectures, book reviews, etc; obviously unpublished material does not count since you can't prove its yours
).
I have spent only the last three years of my life studying these issues (supposed Biblical inaccuracies), so I can't say I know a whole lot, yet. I have to say, though, of the dozen or so classes I have taken, books I have read, research I have done, and professors and scholars in the field I have talked to, I can't
honestly conclude that the Bible as a whole is plagued by a large numbers of gross inaccuracies. Of the supposed inaccuracies I can only name two (of the top of my head) that I have found overwhelmingly convincing, but then even those can be explained away.
Again, like I said, I haven't personally looked at all the issues closely enough to pronounce judgment on all them, much less make wide generalization on the ENTIRE Bible. You, on the other hand, seem to be able to.
A lot of Christians realize this and thus strive to study languages and semantics in order to provide a more accurate translation. That is why there are so many translations of the Bible out there!
Yes, and all Christians should strive to learn the Bible in its original text (IMO) if possible. Of course, if you feel like don't have the time or the brains to do this, don't despair. HUNDREDS of scholars throughout the centuries who have dedicated THEIR LIVES to the study of the Biblical text and are continously working towards providing the best possible translation. The many translations of the Bible point to the dedication of these people to convey as much as of the origional thought and literary nuances that went into the writing of the original and allow us to get a better understanding of it. If there was only one official translation of the Bible this would not be possible. The fact of the matter is, there is no substitute for being able to read the original text, but rest assured the theological meaning of the authors (which is really what matters here) is not lost in translation. THEY (the authors of the Bible) made sure it would be most difficult to miss something as important as the relevance of God's law to Christian living, the redemptive work of Christ, and the second coming of Jesus (just to name a random few), all crucial tenets of Christian theology.
Following is a LOT of interesting information y'all can read if anyone cares to begin to understand why the Bible does not truly have much to say at all about homosexuality.
Amazing work, Bayn! I look forward to hearing your paper on the upcoming Society of Biblical Literature meetings (November 20-24, 2004, San Antonio, TX). I'm not entirely sure if I'll attend this year (these things cost money you know), but I'll ask my professors to have a talk with you. That or I'll just wait for the publications to come out.
By the way, I'll be at the ASOR meetings next year for sure. Maybe I can look you up then if you're going (not sure how interested you are in Archaeology).
For years the Church has condemned homosexuality as one of the worst sins. In some cases, cold-blooded killing isn’t considered as evil as making love to a person of the same sex.
When in fact BOTH should be seen as "detestable" in God's eyes. "Do not lie with a man was one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (Leviticus 18:22, NIV). "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination" (Lev. 20:13, NRSV). If these translations are not acceptable to you, Bayn, you can read and exegete for us the original Hebrew and tell us why you think this is so. Don't forget to cite respectable sources to backup your arguments (othewise I'd be force to imagine you just did a google search on the text and based your claims on whatever you found on the text online, LOL).
It is important to remember that while we are called to shun evil and condemn sin (i.e. behaviour), we are not called to judge people. This is God's prerogative. I can say homosexuality is wrong because it is against God's will. I cannot act as prosecutor, judge and executioner and to try punish anyone for their sins.
[quote]For many Christians, this causes a major problem. How can one love the Lord and be homosexual at the same time? Most heterosexual Christians will tell you that this is not possible. In order to follow the “straight and narrow path,â€
by Atei on Sat Mar 13, 2004 5:13 pm 
