Bible 2007?

[Alice Shade]

Here`s a question that I`ve thought up recently...

Did anyone ever tried to rewrite Bible to accomodate for the modern ages within last century or two?

Think about it. Bible is two millenias outdated. Yet, it is supposed to perform about the same thing for humans, as OS for computers.

So how come there was no new patch, let alone new version of Bible for hell knows how long?

And here`s the most interesting problem. Bible is open-source, quite like Linux. And there are several 'brands' of Bible - and collinear systems; Qu`ran, Torah (Compare - Linux and collinear Unix & Solaris).

THe similarities are striking - even up to "holy wars" between users of different OSes.

So how come noone tried to write upgraded versions of Bible, Torah, Qu`ran to suit the modern accomodations?

[jon_hill987]

because by definition they are perfect already, changing them would be admiting they are not the work of their gods.

[Lunchbox]

Because people still want to be able to sell their children into slavery...

[Serenstar]

Because people still want to be able to sell their children into slavery...

and they still believe in talking donkeys. I always knew that Shrek wasn't made up!

[Alice Shade]

The question still stands, though. Didn`t anyone attempted to upgrade Bible ever since?

[Iduna]

The problem with religious texts is, that they cannot be updated. People who updated them are either claimed to be supernatural (New Testament) or touched by the supernatural (Book of Mormon). Both were updated versions of the Bible, but all they did was forming a new religion (Xtians from the former Jews and Mormons from the former Xtians).
Can't update, just forming a new religion.
So the Church of google and the FSM can also be considered as an 'updating' :)
But I wonder why nobody did a religion with more women rights yet (except ours of course) :(

[Vexx]

But I wonder why nobody did a religion with more women rights yet (except ours of course) :(
Because it seems men still think they're better than women just because they have a kickstand.
o_o My god, I'm turning into my grandmother. -hugs random male-


But back to topic....I do agree that people wouldn't want to update the bible because of the whole 'it's perfect the way it is' deal, but I do think I would've been able to read it a whole lot easier if it used a more updated language. Maybe cut out a few things, like the umpteen pages naming all the descendants of one guy or another.
But yeah....does 'don't steal' sound better than 'thou shalt not steal'?
And if we looked at it in the 'history' lessons it had in there....There's not much left to be added. God doesn't seem to want to work 'miracles' today, except those stigma weirdos. So in that sense, it doesn't really need to be updated....

[Alice Shade]

It lacks the regulations on most aspects of modern life, while giving those on things so outdated, they are not in use anymore.

Frankly, I tend to think that christians would`ve benefitted better from advice on contraception then advice on slavery at the current time.

[Vexx]

I suppose that's true. I doubt anyone nowadays needs to know whether or not to stone a person to death....
But I've also seen some books before that have been labelled as 'answers to questions the bible couldn't answer' or something similar. It's basically someone taking the questions that people have now, like contraception, having sex before marriage, etc and answering them to the best of their knowledge by using the bible and their own mind....
I suppose such things would be useful in the bible, too. Maybe they should make some super bible where it has the old print, the new print, and the questions in some section afterwards....Might be huge, but it'd work.

[Iduna]

Things like 'no sex before marriage' were of course sensible for those times: no spreading of diseases and to protect women of unwanted pregnancies (they would've been lost without a husband). But those things are outdated now in the age of condoms. No reason for that anymore.
Also things like not eating pork. Pigs are even 'cleaner' animals than cows, but their meat goes toxic very easy when not refrigerated. So it made sense then, but outdated today. And so on...

[MeTHoD-X]

I'd say the bible has indeed been updated in many ways throughout the ages. For one, it's widely accepted that the catholics heavily edited it many times a few centuries back. Secondly, the morality in the bible is also being interpreted differently today than it was centuries ago. For example, stoning people to death is no longer accepted, gay rights are on the rise, abortion is pretty well accepted. Point being: as society changes it's moral compass, so too does the interpretation of the bible.

You see, the guys who wrote the bible were smart. They left it so completely open for interpretation that anyone could read it and adapt it to their pre-existing sense of morality. The words in the bible may not change any longer, but the interpretation of those words are.

To change an OS, we change its code, to change the bible, society must change their interpretation of it. Interpreting Linux as an OS which is compatible with all software does not make it so. :)

Kudos,
Matt

[Digs]

It'd be easy to update the Bible, you'd just say God was Channeling His Wisdom Through You, except that somebody who changed the Bible added a bit on the end that if anyone changed the Bible or claimed to find/write/whatever more Wisdom from On High, they would be damned to hell for all eternity. Dunno if that bit's in all Bibles, but I've seen it on most of the Episcopal ones I've looked at in my life.

[Alice Shade]

First versions of Linux won`t work all that good on modern computers, y`know. ^_^

Similarly, old version of Bible does not works all that good on the modern society, as well.

At the ages, when it was written, it was NOT meant to be interpreted - it was meant to be as literal, as it gets.

Interpretation began much later, when the civil norms had changed.

[Lunchbox]

I was thinking about this last night in bed and could only come up with one viable reason.

As things currently stand, the Bible is very outdated. No, we don't sell our children into slavery, stone adulteresses or buy slaves. Yes we're allowed to be gay and, if we're dumb enough, to have contact with a woman during certain stages of her cycle. Some great examples can be found in this open letter to Dr Laura Schlessinger (http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/joke/laura.htm). But think about it from the church's point of view. Every time something like this comes up, they can look and act incredibly generously by making concessions to their followers. Even if it's something completely obvious which no sane person would follow, the church can make changes to doctrine and look like they're actually doing people a favour.

On the other hand, if they make a whole pile opf changes and people start to find loopholes, then they have a problem. Suddenly they can't look generous because they have to say "Hang on, that's not what we meant. We're going to change back to the way it was.". Every time something like that happens, their image becomes a bit more tainted.

The Catholic church in particular takes a lot of flack for sticking to its guns on a lot of outdated moral issues (like the use of contraception for example). Can you imagine how many more would come to light if people were given so much more freedom by church doctrine?

[Alice Shade]

Of course. Thus, the suggestion.

If there`d be a modern version of Bible, church`d have back off on a hell of a lot of controversial issues.

[Kokoba]

It'd be easy to update the Bible, you'd just say God was Channeling His Wisdom Through You, except that somebody who changed the Bible added a bit on the end that if anyone changed the Bible or claimed to find/write/whatever more Wisdom from On High, they would be damned to hell for all eternity. Dunno if that bit's in all Bibles, but I've seen it on most of the Episcopal ones I've looked at in my life.
It's hard to say if that line's supposed to apply to the whole Bible or just Revelation. By the way, ever read Revelation? Helluva trip.

Of course our hardcore religious fanatics aren't going to stand for a change to the Holy Text. That would be tantamount to updating something like the Mona Lisa. Like (Iduna?) said, changes turn into a completely different religion.

The closest we get are new translations of the Bible. Have you ever seen how many of them there are? We get those pretty frequently. Maybe it'll be changed substantially and without fuss in the future, as each generation is generally more liberal and mellow than the last.

[Digs]

I believe, but I'm not sure, there's some site which tracks the number of mainstream translations of the two-testament Bible. I bet there were a whole lot of people horrified at even the idea of translating it, too.

The Revelation of John is easily the weirdest book of the entire Bible, bar none. It doesn't even give any protocol for behaviour like most of the rest of the Bible does.

[darkhunter654]

if you were to rewrite the bible it would put most of into words people can understand. thus putting to light the many many loophole that are there. the reason the church doesn't do this is because the have to appease several hundred million people. if they make a mistake and piss of the wrong group there screwed. All there doing now is a balancing act between the groups that still listen to them to keep there grip on them, and keep the money flowin.

[Serenstar]

But I wonder why nobody did a religion with more women rights yet (except ours of course) :(

coughspaganismcough

Back to the topic. I'm not sure if this counts but there's a Bible called the Street Bible or something like that. It's basically the bible put into what is suppose to be modern teenagers language to try and attract more teenagers into Christianity because they'll be able to understand it better. I'll have to say that I heard a passage read out of this book and then the original passage read from the Bible and the original one made more sense. But maybe that's because I'm not a "normal" teenager. :icon_confused:

As for re-writing the Bible and taking out all the parts which don't apply any more and shoving new things in: it wouldn't be the bible. The Bible is the Bible. It can't be changed. Yes parts of it and maybe some of the original meaning has been changed through translation but the basis is still there. Change that basis and you won't have the Bible any more and you won't have Christianity any more.

[PotatoeOfDoom]

well who needs chirstianity???
(Except for the people blind to reason...)