Author Topic: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality  (Read 5136 times)

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Online Pandora

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Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« on: March 18, 2011, 11:30:45 AM »
For some reason Christian groups are offended by the latest distortions.

Those Christians.  So .... intolerant.

Quote
Copies of the New International Version Bible is displayed in a book store on Thursday, March 17, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. It has been criticized by some conservatives who don’t like its use of gender-neutral language. (AP/Mark Humphrey)

A group of biblical scholars, the Committee on Bible Translation, has changed the wording in the latest version of the New International Version Bible, or NIV, to make it more gender inclusive. For years the group has been making changes in Bible text mostly in order to avoid using five words with masculine meaning or nuance: father, brother, son, man, and he/him/his. Back in May 2002 over 100 Christian leaders claimed the TNIV version was not trustworthy.

The AP reported:

    In the old translation of the world’s most popular Bible, John the Evangelist declares: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar.” Make that “brother or sister” in a new translation that includes more gender-neutral language and is drawing criticism from some conservatives who argue the changes can alter the theological message.

    The 2011 translation of the New International Version Bible, or NIV, does not change pronouns referring to God, who remains “He” and “the Father.” But it does aim to avoid using “he” or “him” as the default reference to an unspecified person.

    The NIV Bible is used by many of the largest Protestant faiths. The translation comes from an independent group of biblical scholars that has been meeting yearly since 1965 to discuss advances in biblical scholarship and changes in English usage.

    Before the new translation even hit stores, it drew opposition from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, an organization that believes women should submit to their husbands in the home and only men can hold some leadership roles in the church.

    The council decided it would not endorse the new version because the changes alter “the theological direction and meaning of the text,” according to a statement. Similar concerns led the Southern Baptist Convention to reject the NIV’s previous translation in 2005.

    At issue is how to translate pronouns that apply to both genders in the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts but have traditionally been translated using masculine forms in English.

    An example from the translator’s notes for Mark 4:25 to show how the NIV’s translation of these words has evolved over the past quarter-century.

    The widely distributed 1984 version of the NIV quotes Jesus: “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

    The more recent incarnation of the NIV from 2005, called Today’s New International Version, changed that to: “Those who have will be given more; as for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

    The CBMW had complained in 2005 that making the subject of a verse plural to convey that it could refer equally to a man or a woman “potentially obscured an important aspect of biblical thought — that of the personal relationship between an individual and God.”

Who knows… Maybe the next version will include a section on Jesus and social justice?

Wait for it.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2011, 11:37:55 AM »
Isn't this old news?  I remember one version a long time ago...late 70's...started taking gender out of the text!

SSDD!

Screw 'em!

Probably be a big hit in the apostate churches though...

And I ain't gonna wait for it...it will happen...when not if...

 ::)

 ::puke::
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2011, 11:47:39 AM »
Wasn't it just a few short years back that the ELCA Lutherans started eliminating gender terms like "Father" and "Son" for their doctrine? Right about the same time that they voted to allow homosexual clergy, IIRC.

I have a good friend who was raised ELCA. he doesn't approve of ANY of these new inclusiveness initiatives, yet he cannot bring himself to break from the church. It's his religion, after all. It's easy for me to say break away to a different sect of Christianity, but it's not that easy. Millions of people are feeling trapped between loyalty to the church with which they are traditionally aligned, and the abuse being heaped upon them by the multi-cultists.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline Libertas

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2011, 11:51:23 AM »
Yeah, year and a half ago, in August, when I was in Yellowstone, freak storm swept into Minneapolis and a tornado or microburst blew the steeple off the church they had voted in just several minutes before.

Tell your friend to look into an ARC church instead (Alliance of Renewal Churches), that's what our family did.

ELCA has joined the Dark Side...
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Glock32

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2011, 04:18:09 PM »
When will some of these "scholars" tackle a new version of the Koran?
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charlesoakwood

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2011, 09:56:19 PM »

As soon as they have completely neutered the Bible.


Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2011, 09:21:19 AM »
Yeah, year and a half ago, in August, when I was in Yellowstone, freak storm swept into Minneapolis and a tornado or microburst blew the steeple off the church they had voted in just several minutes before.

...

That's an awesome story of poetic justice. Some (like me) would wonder if the hand of God was involved.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline AlanS

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2011, 09:43:39 AM »
It's easy for me to say break away to a different sect of Christianity, but it's not that easy. Millions of people are feeling trapped between loyalty to the church with which they are traditionally aligned, and the abuse being heaped upon them by the multi-cultists.

Being raised a Southern Baptist (albeit, not a very good one), I converted to Catholicism after marriage. While I do agree with the philosophy of Catholicism, I'm beginning to really lose respect for the Roman Catholic Church.
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Offline radioman

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2011, 09:50:15 AM »
Once you edit, cut and paste one part of the Bible, you have effectively rendered the Holy Bible, Non-Holy.

I think there is a scripture somewhere in Revelation that refers to this.

However, if you send me a check for $5, I will send you a copy of the NEV. (New editable Version)

It comes in pdf format so that you can print it out on 3-hole paper, so it is easier to just remove entire pages at a time.

TGIF - "Thank God I'm Forgiven"

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2011, 10:07:07 AM »
Interpretations and translations from ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek are tricky things. It only takes some cross-referencing study between any version of the Bible and a Concordance to get an idea of the immensity of the task, and the room that exists for interpretive as well as editorial latitude. Interpretive latitude is necessary because of the language barriers. But editorial latitude serves only man's purposes, not Gods.

Interpretive latitude gives us the various versions of the Bible, and insofar as the interpretations and translations are accurate, interpretive latitude gives us a variety of understandings of God's word. But editorial interpretations move the Bible further away from God's word, further away from the truth, and do so only to serve the sensibility and agenda of mankind. That's evil.

Eliminating or altering gender identification from text that clearly indicates gender is evil.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline AlanS

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2011, 12:32:31 PM »
Eliminating or altering gender identification from text that clearly indicates gender is evil.

According to the scholars (translators), the Hebrew pronoun can indicate both sexes, male and female. I'm afraid my Hebrew is kind of rusty, so I'm not able to collaborate. Also, until it's proven to me in some fashion that this is true, I'm calling BS.
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Online ToddF

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Re: Bible changed in pursuit of gender-neutrality
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2011, 07:58:38 AM »
Coming soon to a Universalist Methodist church near you.