sotto voce

Of course! No-one was more haughty, or more barbaric.

sotto voce

Anyway, don't spoil Joan's big occasion.

hjalti

I strongly disagree.

In Iceland we've recently had a debate about this, because Gideons International actually gets to distribute the New testament to kids in schools, and new rules in Reykjavik, the capital and with 1/3 of the population, ban this.

Although everybody knows that the guys in Gideons are just interested in "saving" kids, publicly that argument wouldn't work so they have to use arguments like this: "Oh... without knowing the NT/Bible you won't understand Christianity, modern culture or western literature/history/...et cetera"

But is any of that actually true? Regarding modern culture, isn't stuff like The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Frineds actually much more relevant? And really, how much of what kids learn in history classes is dependent on being familiar with the bible? And even when it comes to Chritsianity itself, it has to a large degree almost nothing to do with the Bible.

I think that this emphasis to having to be familiar with the Bible to be "properly educated" is just what people used to say: "If any adult in Western society doesn't know latin, it is safe to say that he's improperly educated."

sotto voce

Gideons are interested in saving people from Christianity. They favour fake forms of it, and try to head off children before they get to the real thing.

The question is, what do people prefer? The phoney, or the real?

Dawkins knows what he wants. He's failed to shoot down Christianity with evolution, so he's going for the cardboard cutout version.

Joan of Bark

Sounds good. Do I get paid?

DBT

I read the Bible a couple of during my early twenties (with some skimming over the 'begats'). Reading its content, the bizzare nature of its God, ethics, condoned killings, etc, was one of the main reasons for rejecting all possibility that it's related to an actual God.

sotto voce

[Mr Foreham hurries to the front, the head having left, as heads must.]

"Now students, Ms Joan of Bark was only joking. What's that, Ernest? Of course she's not playing for time! Really, Ernest! What a suggestion! Now Ms Joan has out of the goodness of her heart kindly offered to help us, and has neither wish nor need to be paid, so we really must be on her best behaviour, sorry, our best behaviour. It would not do if she was to up and leave us, now, would it! Goodness, no!

"Do forgive us, Ms Joan, and do go on.

"I believe Ms Joan is going to tell us how it is that different translations of the Bible are representative of different kinds of Christianity. No doubt she has plenty of examples of this phenomenon at her fingertips. We are all eager to hear about this, as you can see, Ms Joan, so do continue when you are ready."

DCHindley

One to screw with the head of the bulb, and another to prescribe Xanax to relieve the anxiety of the one who must get on the rickity chair to screw with the bulb.

DCH :bulb:

spin

No, Joan. It doesn't sound like a paying gig.

spin

Sounds like willful (communist) duplication of work to me. Ain't you ever heard of self-medication? Besides, psychiatrists cain't do the patient's job for them. The bulb's gotta get on its own chair. There's no change without pain.