How The Bible Industry Makes Its Fortune
from the thou-shalt-target-niches dept
Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, it happens to be a best-seller year after year, which in itself casts some doubt on the idea that strict copyright protection is needed to protect the publishing business. Of course, it's not so black and white; the Bible is arguably in a class all of its own, in terms of books, while modern books have authors that demand payment and other such considerations. But the fact that the words (or The Word) aren't protected means the industry must find a different model than the one enjoyed by most traditional book publishers. Because the basic content is a commodity, much of the money is in targeting specific niches, such as bibles for families, surfers and teenage girls (which attempt to co-opt some of the style of a glossy teen magazine). The publishers add value by packing in extra content that imbue the subject matter with Biblical inspiration. The Bible is also used as a platform for new products, like a biblically inspired cooking publication (does it have a recipe for Ezekiel 4:9 bread?). Of course, these specific versions and spin-offs do have copyright protection, which makes the intellectual property question a bit murkier. But the model does suggest that when the typical mode of business is unavailable, the industry will seek out a new approach. In this case, it's had the positive effect of leading to more variety and specialization.
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Re:
UM.... Joe says that in the post... "Of course, these specific versions and spin-offs do have copyright protection, which makes the intellectual property question a bit murkier."
So, sorry to burst your bubble, but maybe you should read before you comment.
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The Point of the Article
Very interesting point, indeed.
Of course, in the US, the Bible is a huge industry, every Christian publisher has their own translation with two or more English translations coming out every year. Then, you have the NET Bible which is published in a GPL-ish license. You are permitted to quote the entire NET in a derivative work, something not allowed by Zondervan and others.
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Finally, something intelligent is said.
I applaud you for speaking the absolute truth!
*applause*
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To..a. Coward
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Re: technology
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Why does God need a copyright for something he gave to man?
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Are you kidding?
Never mistake what you wish to be true for what is actually true...that just makes you look silly.
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In fact
I think the way the Bible makes its "fortune" these days is more related to the multiple translations that to the specific packaging.
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Fools...
But let us face facts... the bible is nothing more then a means to control the masses of the past... being clung to by the masses of the present...
Whoever initially wrote it... was pure genius... a way to control the people into condoned morals
Yea... what I am saying is of the devil... just as the church conducted the inquisition, witch hunts etc...
When you die... there is nothing... NOT ONE THING!!! wish, hope, and... pray for what it is worth( which is absolutely nothing...) that there is an afterlife... if it makes your life a bit easier for you, I do not see anything wrong in it.
So... now all you bible thumpers... preach to me!!! tell me how your God... allowed the halloucaust, how it allowed the inquisition, how it allowed these people to suffer just to be rewarded in the afterlife... PURE BS!!!! Why I imagine since the dawn of time, man has imagined a superior being, as they just can not comprehend the fact that life is just random... Picture the ancient caveman, worshipping the sun... and when it set... the sun god was upset with them... So... they killed one of their own to appease the sun god who would accept this saccrifice and rise again in the morning... What we lack in understanding and concept, we try to make up with theories, desires, and hopes of some supreme being controling us...
Read your bible... and use your mind... do you not see anything wrong there??? I have read it, front to back, several times, several versions... and of different religions... and one thing holds true in all... they are full of holes... No you fool... they are not mysteries... they are contradictory statements, where morals had changed to a condoned practice, and thus condoned by the bible by a later addition...
In the begining God created Adam... wait a dam minute... he needs a woman... ok... so he makes a woman... and they are happy, but evil... corrupts eve... she corrupts adam... and they are banned from eden... they go forth and populate the world... erm... incest is wrong right? nowhere does it state that God created any others... so this world is full of inbreds... WAKE THE F UP YOU MORONS!!! the church... any church... any religion... is a business... they survive off you like leaches... FFS... God who is all seeing and all knowing... by the bibles own words did not even know adam had eaten of the tree... he had to ask adam who told him of eve's deception... Come on open your dam blind eyes... read and question FFS!!! Or go to your death in ignorance living in fear of your God... Live life for what it is... LIFE... nothing more... nothing less... nothing after...
Bah... I am done... you will believe what you will... but I challenge you to use your tiny little brain for just 1 dam second!!!
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Re: Fools...
The point many people that have probably argued with you about is not the issue. The issue is have you given the existance of God & the validity of the Bible a chance?
You point out which hunts etc., but those show people not following the Bibile, more evidence for the devil.
I don't know what people calling themselves "christians" have done to you in the past, but I sugest you honestly & openly challange God to show or make real his existance to yourself.
Also, do not try to argue with Christians & especially "christians". Discussions with real Christians sure, but argueing is pointless for both.
Have a good day & I will pray that the God I have come to believe in (sorta forced Himself on me after I presented a challange) will become known to you.
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Re: Fools...
Either that - or he prayed for that shiny new bike that never came...
LOL
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Re: Fools...
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Re: Fools...
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Bible Copyright or copied right
It costs about a million dollars to translate the 66 books called the Bible. If you do not copyright your translation, then some body else will, and they may forbid you publishing it without paying a royalty.
In some cases, translations have been withdrawn from the market to prevent freeedom of choice.
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Most stolen
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Re: Fools
"he had to ask adam who told him of eve's deception"
So why do you ask a toddler if they stole a cookie, even though you saw them do it? Please use your brain for one second before ranting.
"incest is wrong right"
The Bible didn't outlaw close relations marrying until Moses time. Before then, the genetic pool was clean enough that inbreeding didn't result in many disorders.
Please think- oh never mind...
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Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
The bible is full of stupid trash just like that, why would anyone think that it was written by a benevolent diety? The god of the bible is perverse! Christians think it's the word of god because they don't read it. If they actuall read their bibles, they would become atheists.
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Re: Rationalist
Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
The bible is full of stupid trash just like that, why would anyone think that it was written by a benevolent diety? The god of the bible is perverse! Christians think it's the word of god because they don't read it. If they actuall read their bibles, they would become atheists."
Okay first off I don't know who told that they believed God to be benevolent, but Buddy Jesus and his Hep-cat Dad aren't in the bible. God holds you accountable to a fault, he may be forgiving but he's not here to wipe your ass and cut the crust off your toast. Secondly The problem with witch hunts, inquisitions etc..etc, is the interpretation of the bible. No one person can you tell you what the Bible means in any way, shape, or form. The point is for YOU to read it (which by the way Rationalist, its obvious you have not) and take from it what you need throughout the course of your life. People forcing their perspective of Gods will on others has pretty much been the source of every notable widespread act of violence in history, Holocausts, wars, mass murders, etc.. etc.. . and Thirdly such an ignorant, asinine, blanketing statement as: "If they actually read their bibles, they would become atheists." just shows has unintelligent and narrow minded you really are. If you were as enlightened as you think you are, you'd realize NO ONE knows beyond the shadow of a doubt what the purpose of life is, or whats waiting for us at its conclusion, thats kind of the basis for ALL belief systems. Ultimately A wise man knows when to keep his mouth shut and let people assume hes a fool , while a fool opens his mouth and removes all doubt.
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Oy!
Many old versions, translations, and paraphrases have fallen out of copyright so they are typically the ones you find on knick-knacks and in dollar store Bibles. THe KJV is the most popular of these even though it is still under the crown copyright in England.
It would be useful to keep this discussion on topic rather than covering it with ignorant bigotry. Yes, Christians do read the Bible and still believe. Do you think that the translators are atheists? If you wish to get into textual criticism find a better place for it. If you wish to just be a intolerant fool then just go somewhere else.
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I like your "inbred" comment. Reminds me of the evolutionist who believes that a one in a trillion chance mutation happened twice at the same time (one male and one female) and they both mated to have children, which mated with each other....oops, looks like that theory requires us to be a bunch of inbreds too.
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The Greatest Lie Ever Told
1. There is no devil
2. There is no supreme being (God)
3. There is no spoon
4. God is an alien
Admin of:
www.adminseek.net
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Re: The Greatest Lie Ever Told
That has to be a great lie as it was the first eating utensils created other then chopsticks -.-
Vote for Pedro!!! He has a spoon and travels!!!
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..
.....what? Oh right my comment has about as much to do the the original post are most of the rest. Well at least I got my own little soap box to.
Vote for Pedro!
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Foolish Fools...
As for evolution... it has more probability of occuring then some supreme being who only made himself known supposedly to man well after man had populated the earth... why is there no mention of the one god prior to that? was man unworthy? Surely there would be some record by the syrians... the oldest written language recorded... who also recorded just about everything of their daily lives... mentions nothing of one god... but many... or paganism... or in logical terms... they lacked the inteligence to realize that their fate is their own... nothing and noone guides them...
One mentions that christians had done something to me... nah... I lash out at ALL religions... they are ALL nothing more then a means to attempt to control the masses.
another mentions read the bible... Buddy I have probably read it more times then you have in my search for truth and enlightenment... as well as the koran, and studied bhuadism, Judaism, etc... Do not assume I am unstudied or unenlightened because of my views...
One asked for proof??? erm... read... the... bible... there is my proof... it contradicts itself... WHERE IS YOUR PROOF??? Logical... and tangible proof... Mine speaks for itself... how you interpret the bible is truly on ones own as it is cryptic to say the least... yet you can not say that you read a passage, only to come across another later that contradicts the previous passage... If you do claim that it does not contradict itself, then I call you small minded, illogical, and an innocent lamb being led to the slaughter house...
As for the fool who said there is a difference between the real church and the catholic church... I should hope so... there is differences between all churches... thus the different religions... my question to you is... what is the real church? meh... does not matter... it is false as well...
Nowhere does darwanism say inbreeding is wrong... our morals say it is wrong... however primitive man would not have considered it wrong as he had very limited thought patterns... But along your lines of thinking... it was sanctioned as the blood lines were pure? but then at some point it was called a sin... yet more contradiction... While I am on the topic of primitive man... ummm... please explain... first... adam and eve are talking, know they are naked... etc... then the species reverts to near subhuman?
One last question... before I disapear from this page forever... God brought before adam one of each animal, bug, etc... so that he would know them and allowed adam to name them... the bible mentions cattle... I guess that reverted as well??? Not to mention the whole dinosaur thing... bah... Why did I ever think I could get into an intelligent discussion with any religious fanatic when they keep their minds so closed to the real truth?
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Ranting in English
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Re: Ranting in English
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Reasons for copyrighting translations
One such group, the New English Translation (or NET bible) has a discussion of their motivations and decisions at http://www.bible.org/netbible/pre.htm They wanted to make sure that anybody could freely use their translation, but not publish it for pure profit. So they (like the FSF) chose to copyright the work but include a very liberal license that basically lets you use it for any purpose, but to publish it, you need their approval.
In this case, it's copyright doing what it should be. It's "promot[ing] the progress of science and useful arts" by letting the creators of the work decide how their works should be distributed.
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Either way, decide what you want to believe... even if a Christian thinks your wrong, we may speek out about it.... but your free to live it so long as your not hurting others...
For alot of meaning to odd passages like the witch hunter reference above you'd have to go to the original translations, and also dont take it out of context... If you want a rational debate about it I don't believe this is the place to do so...
What do you believe? and when you die will what you believe matter?
I'm glad the bible outsells... its shows as an indicator what people do believe...
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Wake Up before you go go..
Mr. Wake Up, sir, you are just as close minded as the people you call out, I'd say. But, since you're so hell (hm..) bend on proof, back up that statement when you claim there is nothing after you die. I can't say, with any certainty, either way-- my own beliefs notwithstanding.
As for your great and all powerful Logic: You have 4 simple choices here (not the ones posted above, sadly) and 3 diferent outcomes.
1. God doesn't exits, you don't believe in God = Nothing happens
2. God doesn't exist, You believe in God = Nothing happens.
3. God does exist, You belive in God = Heaven
4 God does exist, You don't believe in God = Hell
To clarify, when I say you believe/don't believe, I assume that you follow the teachings of the bible if you believe in God, and if you don't, you don't-- which isn't to say that if you don't believe in God that you run around killing people, just that you don't pray, ask for forgiveness, etc.
That all being said, it would be *logical* to 'find' God or Jesus or Buddha or whatnot, and do your best to follow teachings of the bible (or whichever holy book you like) and aeithists are the only people who are truely making an illogical choice. I mean, what do you miss out on being religious as opposed to being athiest? It's not as if most the teachings in the bible aren't laws anyway...
It just seems like the price is too high for me to chance it. That's just me. Perhaps I can put it this way, Mr. Wake Up: If you're right, you'll never be able to throw it in my face. If I'm right, then.. well... you know. :)
Merry Christmas!
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Re: Wake Up before you go go..
As for your great and all powerful Logic: You have 5 simple choices here (not the ones posted above, sadly) and 3 diferent outcomes.
1. God doesn't exits, you don't believe in God = Nothing happens
2. God doesn't exist, You believe in God = Nothing happens.
3. God does exist, You belive in God = Heaven
4 God does exist, You don't believe in God = Hell
5 God does exist, You believe in the wrong God = Hell
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Re: Wake Up before you go go..
Happy Holidays Techdirt Readers.
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Re: Wake Up before you go go..
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Wake up before you go go.....
JESUS LIVED AND DIED FOR YOU, BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU!
!MERRY CHRISTmas!
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Re: Wake up before you go go.....
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Seriously, Shut the Hell Up
I also love how everyone feels it's their responsibility to denounce Christianity. You should be grateful for Christianity. While it has had it's major problems in the past, it's matured into a peaceful religion in only 2000 years. Islam is still dealing with not killing people who don't believe in it. If you didn't have Christianity running alongside Islam and holding it back, YOU WOULD HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY WHAT YOU HAVE SAID HERE! In Islamic countries they can legally stone you to DEATH you for not being Islamic.
No offense to civil Islamic people meant, you guys rock, I just speak of your uneducated brethren, which I like about as much as I like my fundamentalist Christian brother...
Infamous Joe. email me, digitalsaint@gmail.com. I like you take on this, I'd like to use your logic for a project.
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1. God doesn't exits, you don't believe in God = Nothing happens
2. God doesn't exist, You believe in God = Nothing happens.
3. God does exist, You belive in God = Heaven
4 God does exist, You don't believe in God = Hell
5 God does exist, You believe in the wrong God = Hell
6 God does exist, You believe in the wrong God, The God of Christianity understands you were mislead and forgives you anyway = Heaven
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If we use logic......
1. God doesn't exits, you don't believe in God = Nothing happens
2. God doesn't exist, You believe in God = Nothing happens.
3. God does exist, You believe in God = Heaven
4 God does exist, You don't believe in God = Hell
5 God does exist, You believe in the wrong God = Hell
6 God does exist, You believe in the wrong God, The God of Christianity understands you were mislead and forgives you anyway = Heaven
7. God does exist. You don't believe in God. God forgives you anyway because he is a loving and merciful god = Heaven
Then:
8. god does exist, You believe in the wrong god. The wrong god makes you do bad thinks for the "good" god= Hell?
9. god does exist, You believe in the wrong god . The wrong god makes you do bad thinks BUT AS YOU SAID: The God of Christianity understands you were mislead and forgives you anyway = Heaven?
So, when I die and as I don't believe in god, I will go to heaven anyway? And I will be able to talk with my mexican ancestors who use to take of the heart of the people to offer to their own (wrong) goods? I will be able to talk with all the muslims who die in a jihad killing christians in the name of their (wrong) good Ala (including Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein)?
Or he did send all that "mislead" people to hell just because don't belive in him? (hey man, waht a god! uh?)
If we continue this way, we can found a lot of contradictions in the christians ideas, but the basic is: Only the ones that believe in their god, and do bad thinks go to hell right?... Everybody else who believe in other gods, have no problem, because "God forgives you anyway because he is a loving and merciful god"
So, why the hell should I be worry about the existence or non existence of god, anyway?
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On Topic
"But teenage girls won't read the Bible unless it looks and reads like a teen magazine!"
Maybe they should try and understand the actual message before they attempt to disguise it to be more attractive. Then they might realize it's attractive all on its own.
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God doesn't need to punish us, He built natural laws into the universe and into people to take care of that. You smoke too much you get cancer, you drink too much you get liver disease, you lie to your friends they no longer trust you. There is no need for Him to step in and give you a cosmic smackdown.
It took me 17 years of "Spiritual Abuse" to shake myself out of it. I had to come to realize that there are bad churches and there are bad people in power there, but that is not the majority of churches, it is in fact the small minority. Sure there are things you won't like in every church as in every group of people but there are good, positive, quality churches that aren't overly offensive.
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Irony?
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Ezekiel 4:9 bread
This company sells Ezekiel 4:9 bread. I've had it before - it's not bad, basically just tastes like a normal super-multi-grain bread. On the package, though, they never mention whether they followed the cooking instructions in verse 12...
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those damned preachers
Copyrighting bibles seems like a great idea to me if it impedes the spread of destructive ideas. However there are utilitarian moral ideas in the Bible, the Torah and the Quran that deserve a modern reinterpretation. I think it is important to tolerate all peoples religions and their right to believe in what they like, so long as that doesn't involve inflicting that belief on others. Unfortunately Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have bigots who believe they must force others to adopt their beliefs. And it isn't exclusively religious people either. I became a disaffected Humanist because all I hear from other Humanists is derogatory Christian bashing and calling them stupid for their beliefs.
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Con Artist
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Re: Con Artist
Now, if you want to make the case that the writers and early teachers of the New Testament (i.e. the disciples) were conartists in order to create a religion and get something from people, okay. I'd disagree with you, but it would at least be a little more credible.
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>
> Why does God need a copyright for something he gave to man?
If your god actually existed, he wouldn't need man to translate the bible.
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Ugh
Yes, centuries ago there were some evil people who did evil things in the NAME of Chrisitanity, but they were not Christians, nowhere in God's word is there justification for what they've done. With Jesus in your heart, you just don't do those kinds of things. Look, Jesus came to earth with all of the powers of God, but how did he go about changing the world? Not by the sword, but with love, patience, kindness, mercy, etc. You change people's heart and you change the world.
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And why exactly does there need to exist a plethora of translations? The bible was written as one book, parts were added and extracted to fit the view of the church and assert it's control over society. If the bible was "the word of god" it would be sacred. No one would be allowed to alter, paraphrase, rewrite or insert their own interpretations. That's blasphemy.
The bible is nothing more than a book of stories and guidlines for moral behavior. Since it predates copyright laws it cannot be bound by such.. it is the everlasting item of public domain. Placing a copyright on such historical text makes about as much sense as holding a patent for water or air.
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Hey, JJ bubbles, *you're* the idiot
Anon Coward bubble said:
" Sorry to burst your bubble, but most translations of the Bible are copyrighted.
JJ bubble said:
UM.... Joe says that in the post... "Of course, these specific versions and spin-offs do have copyright protection, which makes the intellectual property question a bit murkier."
So, sorry to burst your bubble, but maybe you should read before you comment."
If you'd actually put the whole thing in context, what Joe said was:
"The Bible is also used as a platform for new products, like a biblically inspired cooking publication (does it have a recipe for Ezekiel 4:9 bread?). Of course, these specific versions and spin-offs do have copyright protection ..."
The context provides meaning for the word THESE. THESE referred to biblically-inspired cooking publications and other left-field biblically related products, not bibles themselves. But the first post by an anon. coward was referring to BIBLES when he mentioned that THEY are copyrighted, he's pointing out something very legitmate that Joe *DOES* seem to have missed, which doesn't shock me at all because Joe *DOES* seem to miss a lot.
I think JJ you trying to BURST so many bubbles and blowing nothing but bubble crud yourself, it's very very clear that you have not much more than a bubble brain yourself.
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Politics and Religion
Good grief, people, we couldn't even make it to the second post before the religion / anti-religion flames started to fly. Here's a clue: this article was about the copyright status of a specific text vs. the commercial viability of the Bible in contrast with the copyright status and commercial viability of other works, not about the validity of the Bible itself.
So, y'all just shut up, OK?
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the bible as an industry
1) Why worship a Jewish God at a Jewish altar?
2) Why elevate this book above all others? What happened to the Iliad, the Odysseys and the Aeneid, the classics of old?
3) 2/3 of the 6.5 billion people on planet Earth DO NOT share the "The Bible so pervades Western culture" feeling. Why be exclusionists?
4) The roots of Western civilization are Greco-Roman NOT Judeo-Christian. Democracy was invented at the Areopagus in Athens, Greece and rule of law and civil engineering by the Roman Empire. Watch the current travails of the European Constitution.
5) Instead of teaching one distorted point of view, why not teach UNIVERSAL morality and ethics? I am sure lots of other texts would qualify.
6) The bible is not that original.
The Ten Commandments? In the papyrus of Ani.
Noah's tale? In the epic of Gilgamesh.
Things that came to light only in last hundred years.
Who knows how many "borrowings" (antecedents) from more ancient and preceding civilizations there are in the "divine revelation" of the Jewish Bible.
The fact is all civilizations preceding, contemporary and following the 500-300 BC time frame the bible was fabricated had organized religions with high priests and devoted followers.
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WONDERING WHY THERE ARE STILL SOME PPLE WHO ARE SO FOOLISH
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