Holy Political Text, Batman!

October 9, 2009 at 4:20 pm the chaplain 14 comments

I know this news is several days old and, therefore, ancient by today’s standards. Moreover, other bloggers have scooped me on this, but I’ll touch on it anyway. Some of the conservatives at conservapedia have launched the Conservative Bible Project, an effort to rid the Bible of its alleged current liberal biases and restore its original conservative bent. Apparently, the Bible, translated and interpreted correctly, lines up perfectly with contemporary American right-wing Republicanism. Who would have guessed?

Generally speaking, I could care less what Christians do with their holy book. I should think, however, that Christians would care deeply about the matter. At least one conservative Christian commenter at the Washington Post agrees with me:

Does anyone other than me find it ironic that the Conservative Bible Project hijacks a supposedly sacred text and manipulates it for political purposes? Then again, it’s not like that’s never happened before. Still, this strikes me as a disrespectful way to treat one’s holy book. Is it too much to ask conservative Christians to recognize that the Bible is a collection of religious writings? It’s not a science book, or a history book, or a psychology book, or a sociology text, or a political platform. It’s a collection of religious reflections – many of which referred to scientific, historic and other ideas as they were understood at the time – on humankind’s place in the cosmos. Some of those reflections still have value for contemporary humans, others – not so much.

One of the most interesting reinterpretations offered on the Washington Post comment thread was this:

If that commenter’s right, then my guess is that Caesar would have gotten along well with George W. Bush. Hmm. Maybe the Bible is a conservative political text after all.

— the chaplain

Entry filed under: thechaplain.

Christianity or Islam? Take this, Transcendental Argument for God’s Existence…

14 Comments Add your own

1. LeoPardus | October 9, 2009 at 4:41 pm

This positively SCREAMS, “April Fool!” even if it’s not April. I looked at the conservapedia link and it’s clearly tongue-in-cheek.

Funny though.
2. the chaplain | October 9, 2009 at 5:38 pm

Leo, I agree that the page at Conservapedia can appear to be tongue-in-cheek – it seems too over-the-top to be legitimate. But, when one considers that (as Wikipedia reports):

Conservapedia is an English-language wiki-based Web encyclopedia project written from an Americentric, conservative Christian and predominantly young earth creationist point of view. It was started in 2006 by lawyer and social studies teacher Andy Schlafly, son of conservative activist and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly.[3][4] He stated that he founded the project because he felt that Wikipedia had a liberal, anti-Christian, and anti-American bias.

one wonders. Conservapedia appears to be a serious venture, a parallel to Wikipedia.
3. Joshua | October 9, 2009 at 5:45 pm

As an atheist I would like to put out my vote for a Bible that removes its theistic bias. Thank you.
4. LeoPardus | October 9, 2009 at 5:52 pm

a Bible that removes its theistic bias.

LOL! 😀
5. Mystery Porcupine | October 9, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Joshua, would you quote some verses to show us what the Bible without a theistic bias would look like??? This is an interesting idea….
6. mikespeir | October 9, 2009 at 6:49 pm

I can give some, Porcupine:
7. Roy | October 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Joshua, would you quote some verses to show us what the Bible without a theistic bias would look like??? This is an interesting idea….

I think Thomas Jefferson did this. Somebody could google it.
8. Roy | October 9, 2009 at 7:27 pm

I’ve never read it but here is a sample:

The Jefferson Bible
9. Quester | October 9, 2009 at 8:16 pm

Joshua,

A Bible without it’s theistic bias, with the mythology, contradictions, lies, evil and nonsense cut out:

Love others as your self.
Love is patient and kind. Love values truth, not evil. Love hopes and perseveres.
Live to the fullest.
Test everything; hold onto that which is good.

Thanks for the challenge. I kept more than I thought I would when I started.
10. orDover | October 9, 2009 at 9:01 pm

That Jesus, he’s practically a socialist! He wants people to take care of the poor, he’s a fan of the redistribution of wealth, he HATES the rich, AND he’s a pacifist!
11. Roy | October 9, 2009 at 10:00 pm

And I apologize for my screw-up in not making #7 and #8 one post. I certainly could have avoided this one too if I had not made that mistake. I can sometimes be somewhat hard on myself. It is an illness called *perfectionism*.
12. George | October 10, 2009 at 12:24 pm

abc 123 that’s how simple it can be
13. Brian | October 12, 2009 at 8:58 am

Anyone remember those “Politically Correct Fairy Tale” books they brought out in the mid-90’s. Maybe somebody should do THAT with the Bible.
14. Joshua | October 12, 2009 at 1:11 pm

Thanks for the challenge. I kept more than I thought I would when I started.

rofl. Nice, Quester 🙂

Basically, I imagine the Bible without God would basically be the “be nice to your friends” talk my parents gave me when I was little.