Discussion 1 to Meditation 1173
Comments on "The Bible Misunderstood"
by: Africanus
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The Newsweek article referenced in Meditation 1173 begins with two paragraphs describing a despicable straw man. Having set the tone, it continues in a tirade.
It mentions a professor and a theologian, but doesn't say anything about their backgrounds. Sadly, if you want to promulgate just about any proposition which tends to denigrate the Bible or Christianity, you can likely find a liberal expert who agrees with you.
The author dabbles in hermeneutics in reference to Phillippians 2:6 by pointing out two possible translations of the Greek word "morphe" and implying that the choice is arbitrary. He doesn't mention that the same word is used in the next verse. When these verses are taken together, only one translation makes sense.
He refers to Luke 3:16 as if it were a problem verse, but just read the preceding verse and you will see there is no problem.
He writes, "The word Sunday does not appear in the Bible." He doesn't tell us that the phrase "the first day of the week" does appear.
His opinions in regard to the Decalogue, especially about keeping the Sabbath, do not consider the concept of the new covenant -- pretty basic stuff.
His opinion that the trinity is a "deception" because it is not clearly stated in one sentence also belies profound ignorance of basic theology, as do his attempts at Christology.
He says the Gnostics were a Christian sect!?! So much for historical accuracy. Gnostics existed long before Christianity. When Christianity spread and drew people away from pagan religions, Gnostics tried to attract followers by inventing their own versions of Jesus and the Gospels. Traditional Christianity is based on the older manuscripts.
This article is clearly extremely subjective, contains mistakes, and is misleading. Someone who really wants to say something important about the Bible/Christianity should take the time to learn the basics.
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