The Conservative Bible Project has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I have seen in a while. When I first clicked over earlier today via Alex Knapp’s Facebook status, I first thought it was a parody. Indeed, how can one read the first line from the page and not think that it is a parody:
Liberal bias has become the single biggest distortion in modern Bible translations.
Yes, that’s right: liberal bias in the Bible.
The whole thing has to be read to fully appreciate the ludicrousness of it all. I love, for example, that the starting spot for their project is the public domain King James’ translation, because, of course, a translation that had it origins in the 1600s is almost certainly rife with liberal bias.
A footnote explains why they don’t want to use the NIV:
The committee in charge of updating the bestselling version, the NIV, is dominated by professors and higher-educated participants who can be expected to be liberal and feminist in outlook. As a result, the revision and replacement of the NIV will be influenced more by political correctness and other liberal distortions than by genuine examination of the oldest manuscripts. As a result of these political influences, it becomes desirable to develop a conservative translation that can serve, at a minimum, as a bulwark against the liberal manipulation of meaning in future versions.
Here’s an example of what concerns the project:
Socialistic terminology permeates English translations of the Bible, without justification. This improperly encourages the “social justice” movement among Christians.For example, the conservative word “volunteer” is mentioned only once in the ESV, yet the socialistic word “comrade” is used three times, “laborer(s)” is used 13 times, “labored” 15 times, and “fellow” (as in “fellow worker”) is used 55 times.
Goodness, no wonder Sunday School’s keep churning out Che Guevara devotees! Because, after all, only hardcore commies even use the word “laborer.” And I think Lenin himself invented the word “comrade” and placed a hypnotic spell within its syllables!
Seriously, it is hard to read the site and not think that it is a parody.
Rod Dreher wins the line of the day on the whole thing:
It’s like what you’d get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin’.
October 6th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Wow.
This is simply amazing.
Taking the “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” kinda takes away from one of the central themes of that story.
Plus, they are dinging the ESV here, which was translated from the Greek directly by religiously conservative scholars trying to preserve the meaning of the original language.
A lot of it is this: “The Bible has been dumbed down and uses words we don’t like like ‘comrade’. So we want to change it.” I mean, seriously, are they afraid of the word comrade? Because it has a legitimate meaning in English that works.
October 6th, 2024 at 9:04 pm
Also, let me just say that the word “laborer” and “labor” aren’t inherently liberal words.
October 6th, 2024 at 9:38 pm
Yea, this boggles the mind. The Bible doesn’t nicely fit into any political ideology which is best. Completely nonsensical to apply the old shoehorn here. Just translate from the greek as best as possible and keep your bias to yourself.
October 6th, 2024 at 11:44 pm
I can’t wait to see how they “re-translate” this passage from the 1611 King James Bible:
“Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. [...] How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Or these beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Or this:
“I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
October 7th, 2024 at 7:10 am
I think this one would be problematic:
“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”
Communism!
October 7th, 2024 at 12:58 pm
“I first thought it was a parody.”
That’s the rub. The entire project of Conservapedia itself is exactly the sort of thing you’d expect to be parody.
I wonder if the authors go around in their daily lives decrying “liberal bias.” Ex. They go to a restaraunt, order a steak and find it unsatisfactory, i.e. liberally biased.
October 10th, 2024 at 2:16 am
Wow. Um…sounds like their version would definitely be shorter. I mean, once you take out the over 300 instances where the bible gives explicit instructions, general observations and nudges in the direction to TAKE CARE OF THE POOR, you get a shorter book. Too bad it would no longer be THE BIBLE.
If I can take the stance that abortion is wrong from two scriptures then I am logically obligated to so much more take to heart something God spoke about THAT much. What it comes down to is whether or not, as a Christian, you want to have the heart of God or the heart of man. The heart of man allows you to focus on yourself and your own self interest as if you were the center of the universe. The heart of God – as revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures – is that we take care of others as if they were ourselves. Faith without works is dead and the bible repeatedly tells us what those works are to be.
The 1611 King James Version is full of political leanings itself. Jesus did NOT use the KJV.
I mean, gee, which book of the New Testament do you think Jesus taught out of the most?
Really? Try Torah – which is FULL of commands to take care of those less fortunate than you. I believe that the “prosperity gospel” which displaces some scriptures to emphasize others – ie. perverts the gospel as a whole – is built on the foundation of “replacement theology” which states the the New Testament did away with the old. Well, if Torah is no longer an issue brothers and sisters can get married. That would still result in a genetically damaged society, now more than ever before. God spoke those things for a REASON and to dismiss any of them is appalling and self-damaging both to the individual and the society in which that individual functions.
Oh, and I’m saying all of that from the perspective of someone who – in the 4 years I’ve been allowed to vote – have voted Republican more than Democrat. Neither party meets my standards and if there was a morally conservative/fiscally liberal party I’d most likely be a member of it. I will vote against my own self interest because in 99.9999999999999999% of cases, I’m the other guy.
October 10th, 2024 at 11:52 pm
I don’t really have anything else to add, I just wanted to “update” the page my name on the previous comment leads you to. Since there’s no “update” option I’ll leave another comment. In fact, leaving that comment was the “straw that
Thanks.
broke the camel’s backmade the camel create a blog to express her voice.” I’ve been going through a surge of writing politically based articles and blogs and essays – just because I can’t take the dysfunction anymore and I have to SAY something – and several people have suggested things from get into Social Work making policy to run for office. I chose to start a blog based on politics and that comment up there is the reason why.