Rewrite the Bible?

artistically i think it would be cool to see something similar to some of the modernized shakespeare works like titus andronicus (anthony hopkins) and romeo juliet dicaprio and claire danes)

i think my main hesitancy about "rewriting" comes from the fact that parts of the bible have very much a historical value as well as moral

so modernizing themwould obviously remove that

and if people arent willing to do the work of understanding the historical context of the stories then how would they know if a modernization got the story right to begin with?

the "moral" of the story is definitely found in understanding the culture so anyone not prepared to do that would be in no position to say it was done properly or improperly and someone who does make that effort doesnt really need a new interpretation

i agree it could be valuable - maybe very much so -but i dont see it as strictly necessary

that being said

who would you cast for what part? lol

i think dwayne johnson should get the role of samson and will smith should be jesus

For what it is worth a few resources on this are The Human Bible by Robert Price and any of the work of Acharya S (D.M. Murdock). They both have taken years to look at the bible (more precisely the writings from 200 CE hat were edited into the Bible) as it was original written before all the changes took place and their scholarship is easily approachable.

I can't believe I'm putting myself in this position (I'm not generally the one defending the Bible), but it says VERY specifically in the Bible that it should not be added to or subtracted from, or you will face the wrath of God

Revelation 22:19 > "And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll".

Deuteronomy 4:2 > "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you."

People have NOT been rewriting the Bible (and least, not the Old and New Testament) for this very reason. What has been happening is that new translations have been cropping up.

For example, the King James Version (KJV) is one of the oldest translations, and so is often respected by many Christians as the proper version. Unfortunately it's difficult to read for a lot of people. On the other hand, the New International Version (NIV) is based on a manuscript that had more copies. It's not as old as the KJV, but there's more of them than the KJV. Another thing to keep in mind is that the KJV is translated into English word to word, whereas the NIV is translated one statement or verse at a time, expressing the idea of the statement rather than the meaning of each individual word.

So it's a trade off. I personally like the NIV. It expresses the same general ideas and I can follow it better. The KJV uses some old-English words that are confusing and while they may be more accurate, they tend to lose me.

I hope that helps. (So no, I don't think the Bible should be rewritten. Who cares if you need to be educated in order to understand it?)

Streen wrote:

Deuteronomy 4:2 "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you."

Please do not pick and choose your Old Testament verses.

You're already going to hell anyway:

Leviticus 19:19 wrote: Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

Unless the Old Testament should no longer be followed:

Matthew 5:17 wrote: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

In which case the verse from Deuteronomy no longer applies.

Streen wrote:

Revelation 22:19 "And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll".

Emphasis mine. Is the Bible a 'scroll of prophecy'? Or is that passage just referring to the Book of Revelation itself?

Does 'words' mean words as in the literal scribbles marked down on the page? Then we ought to be reading it in Greek... If it doesn't mean words but means the meaning of the words then of course we can translate it. But if it's the meaning of the words rather than the words itself doesn't a story of equal meaning but different words have the same value?

I find the point there humorous...

Isnt growth part of "God's Plan"?

Holding onto the past, and not liking change is man's problem, not any "Gods"....

Any omnipitent being should have allowed for change, if it truely were his word... As it (the bible) didnt, then it is only the interpretation of "Gods" word...

We cant properly interpret spoken language and meaning between our species, which is similar to each other...

And we are supposed to think that a human understood a level of intelligence far exceeding our own?

I will caveat this by saying I'm not Christian, however I was one.. in fact many of the contradictions in the bible were one of the reasons I went on to other things. As long as the 'spirit' is kept... I probably would have much preferred a more modern take then than the current versions where every verse is debated and argued. If we remember that the bible was written by men (inspired by God I presume), then I don't see the problem with more people (inspired by God), rewriting some of it. The Churches are changing... why not the text?

I think what you're suggesting (speaking to Kamizu) has already been done and will continue to be done...for kids at least. How many storybook Bibles are out there where the stories are rewritten (the main elements are there, of course) for the kids to digest the information easier? A LOT! haha.

Why not for adults, too? A storybook Bible for adults?

Personally, when I was younger, still Christian, and studying the Bible frequently, I liked reading the King James version with a scholarly commentary side-by-side because I loved getting the cultural/historical background on each verse I was reading (not EVERY verse, but you know what I mean). I'd still recommend that option over "rewriting" it for easier consumption, but that's just me...

We cant properly interpret spoken language and meaning between our species, which is similar to each other...

And we are supposed to think that a human understood a level of intelligence far exceeding our own?

Isn't that the bottom line for most of this religion stuff?

Besides haven't bible themes been written into lots of books and movies? Isn't that the same as a rewrite?

OR does a church have to approve and recognize the rewrite.

Kamizu wrote: That's why I think it'd be better to rewrite it. Our nature hasn't changed, but the life and culture of the US of today is vastly different than the life and culture of the Middle East 4,000 years ago. Jesus washed feet. Big deal? Actually it was. But you have to know the culture and history of the area to understand why people were flipping out about it. Maybe he washed their car instead? haha no idea. But that's why I think a group of people who know the history and culture could better rewrite it for today. I think the myths are there, and they're wonderful. The spirit of the message really does pertain to today, but without being a historian, I feel a lot of the impact is missing. But make a new New King James Version with Jesus walking the streets of New York today. ...although I think the troubles will come with the whole crucifixion thing haha. We really don't have the same kind of executions that could reflect near the kind of suffering crucifixion inflicts.

Pick three stories you like, and I'll make it my weekend project.

Rickie wrote: OR does a church have to approve and recognize the rewrite.

lol...

And which church/religion/follower of Christ would want to be the ones to suggest it? Under whose authority?

Similar to us claiming we speak for ourselves,but not all jedi...

All of those different religions spouting of of one, and they all (relatively) use the same book, lol...

Any major group (say Catholics, as I was one) would be BLASTED for it... lol...