Another sign of our times

Sept. 9, 2004
          Those that would call themselves Chritian while blatantly ignoring the mandates and responsibilities of the title have a new weapon at their disposal to discredit the religion in the eyes of the world. Titled "Good as New", this new translation of the Bible is a slap in the face to anyone that ever studied the text.

          St. Paul, instead of lashing out at fornication, now encourages Corinth "not to go without sex for too long in case they get 'frustrated'".

          St. John (nicknamed "The Dipper"), no longer baptizes; now he "dips" people who wish to show that they want to change their ways and be forgiven. After Jesus gets "dipped", God does not say (as in the authorized version), "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". Instead, he proclaims "That's my boy, you're doing fine!"

          When St. Peter (here nicknamed "Rocky") denies his association with Jesus, he shakes his head and says "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

          There was once a time when sacred things were left alone. Even if our beliefs conflict with them, we have historically maintained some reserve of reverence for that which is of a religious or spiritual nature. This new "translation" is nothing more than a license for those that wish to retain the name Christian while simultaneously doing what they please without regard to the mandates of the religion. They are hypocrites. The article (found at World Net Daily -http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39114 ) mysteriously fails to show how exactly these new "messages" were transcribed from the original dialects, but states from the outset that the senior voice of Christianity fully endorses this "Good as New" Bible. How could someone that studies the Bible endorse this? I can speak from limited experience, but I know that exact transposition of the material is imperative for conveying the message to those who would endeavor to understand. For example, the name Barrabbas (now nicknamed "Barry") has a definite meaning which brings new light to the entire story. Should one study the "Good as New" version, this critical illumination, no doubt along with countless others, is completely missing.

          Matters of spirituality should not be taken lightly. But this new version of the Bible makes irreverence the rule, and would teach its readers that God is "just one of the guys" and that we generally shouldn't be so concerned with things like morality and decency. While I'm fairly certain (or is it just hopeful?) that, while Great Britain seems to be accepting this degradation of morals, beliefs, and reverence for God, America will surely never accept this piece of garbage. The Bible cannot be changed to facilitate the moral deterioration of society, society must attempt to change to better reflect the morality and reverence in the Bible or not study it at all.

          The wide road is getting wider, but the narrow path stays the same.