- Sex is "fulfilling," masturbation is "difficult
to resist" and Mary Magdalene "had something of a dodgy past".
A new "youth Bible" which talks frankly about pornography and
lust has been condemned by traditionalists for "dumbing down the message
of salvation".
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- The Contemporary English Version Youth Bible, jointly
published by The Bible Society and Collins - which also publishes more
traditional versions of The Bible - is written in modern idiom and includes
a number of extra passages penned by contemporary authors on "youth
issues".
-
- The passage on pornography advises teenagers "to
avoid the top shelf of the newsagents, [and] pray as you surf [the internet]".
A section on masturbation cites St Paul's exhortation in Thessalonians
not to be "a slave of your desires", but admits that "it
can provide a release".
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- Exam anxiety can be dealt with by "praying for a
bit of calm and a good memory!" while adolescents confused by their
sexuality are reminded that "today's world is a sexual free market".
-
- Young people are also told to look at the parable of
Jesus turning water into wine in the context of first-century Palestine.
"Riding a donkey after a drink was less dangerous than drinking and
driving today," it says. "Jesus made up to 160 gallons of wine
at Cana, but would he have made anything that would intoxicate or bring
harm to anyone?"
-
- The updated version has caused consternation among traditionalists,
who argue that the Bible should not be tampered with. The Rev John Roberts,
the general secretary of the Lord's Day Observance Society, said that the
Bible should fight the increasing secularism of society, rather than embrace
it.
-
- "Our society has never been so open so you don't
need to use the Bible to teach people about these things," Mr Roberts
said. "The Bible is a book that one shouldn't denigrate with this
kind of sleazy language. This is gimmicky, and it is a real worry.
-
- "We need to be very careful we don't lose all concept
of what the Bible is about by trying to make God 'pally'. He is not pally,
He is too great to be brought down to our level."
-
- John Medlin, the development manager of the Latin Mass
Society, a Catholic society that strives for authentic worship, claimed
that the traditionalist wing of the Roman Catholic Church was growing worldwide
precisely because it did not offer this sort of "watered-down faith".
-
- "Traditionalist Catholics have very little interest
in such material and do not see the point of it," he said. "The
fullness of the message of salvation is contained in the Bible for believing
Christians, and I see no point in attempting either to add to it or to
dumb it down for a contemporary audience that is desperately seeking transcendence.It
is patronising. It speaks of a certain lack of morals in the persons producing
these sort of dumbed-down Bibles. What we need to do is to offer it whole
and untouched to youngsters in their contemporary world. They are desperately
searching for someone to offer them a goal towards which to strive."
The Contemporary English Version Youth Bible, edited by Nick Page, a Christian
journalist and author, will cost £15.99.
-
- A spokesman for Collins said that the Bible "had
changed with the times". "Sex, addiction, eating disorders, masturbation,
bullying - most kids have to deal with this and if a modern Youth Bible
is to remain a truthful guide to how to live a Christian life, it just
can't duck them," she said.
-
- "Shame, confusion, embarrassment can't have a part
in what we set out if we are to be credible at helping young people get
more out of the Bible - and their lives."
-
- The Bible Society is dedicated to making the Bible accessible
to people across the world. It is supported by donations from churches
of different denominations including the Church of England.
-
- Philip Poole, the deputy chief executive of The Bible
Society, said the society "supports the way Collins is helping young
people understand how the Bible can speak into their lives today".
-
- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/0
8/08/nbible08.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/08/08/ixhome.html
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-
-
- Comment
- From Ted Twietmeyer
- 8-9-4
-
- I must speak out. And so it continues - the continuous
removal from society of all that is good and virtuous for humankind. Why
should any form of self-discipline be required today? To be without moral
values is surely a recipe for disaster. Look at ancient Rome and other
cities. What good did ultra-liberalism do for them? As the old expression
goes - "those who don't learn from history's mistakes are condemned
to repeat them."
-
- But just WHO or WHAT organization is behind creating
this "youth bible?" This question must be asked. And I'll state
my reputation on it that it came straight from the sick, twisted minds
of the NWO. They are out to destroy civilization so they can step in and
rebuild it. The website newamericancentury.org clearly states it with well-known
Bush administration and numerous other NWO signatories visibly on their
mission statement. Truly an evil force at work, and their documents prove
this. The UN has also publicly decreed that in one of their documents "the
family is an enemy of the state."
- WAKE UP - Time is far shorter than you may think to do
something about this.
-
- There is little doubt at all among those of us of today's
mature generation, that it was good old biblical VALUES that built America.
Not free-love, laziness, sleeziness or the lack of moral values. People
that promote such blasphemous "bibles" are really those who practice
real "hate speech." To do anything that destroys the fabric
of society is worst form of hate speech of all. Yet to use the word "homosexual"
in public, is now a punishable offense as hate speech. Say the word in
Pennsylvania, USA in church and now you can go to jail. I for one, am completely
disgusted about this sick perversion of the truth.
-
- Everything today seems to point to one thing - that
homosexuals have taken almost complete control of our world. They constantly
promote their twisted sexuality, while hammering down any dissenters of
their "alternative lifestyle"
- as so-called "hate speech." This is hypocracy's
finest hour.
-
- To these people I have only one thing to say: If
EVERYONE practiced what you do behind closed doors, WHO will be doing the
procreating? This is one question I've never, ever heard an answer to from
any of them.
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