Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 08-24-2009, 01:05 AM

http://sbl-site.org/publications/art...?articleId=840

Quote:

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) has received a National Endowment for the Humanities planning grant to develop an interactive website that would improve public understanding of the Bible and its contexts. This website, “The World of the Bible: Exploring People, Places, and Passages” will feed the large public interest in matters biblical and will draw on the work of SBL members.

The Project Director is SBL executive director Kent Richards, who will oversee the planning phase for the website from September 2009 to September 2010.

...

The SBL will work with the New York design studio S2N Media to develop a site that is attractive, easy to navigate, and fully interactive. The website is in its early stages of development. An advisory board meeting at the 2009 annual meeting in New Orleans will set the approach, style, and direction of the site.

My tax dollars at work.

Roger Pearse · 08-24-2009, 08:07 AM

Seems somewhat questionable use of public funds. Why the SBL?

Toto · 08-24-2009, 08:18 AM

It's not that questionable, as long as the SBL operates an academic, secular website.

Many of the academic scholars in the SBL have been financed by the NEH.

Roger Pearse · 08-24-2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

It's not that questionable, as long as the SBL operates an academic, secular website.

Erm, I thought you people had separation of state and religion?

But if we restate it to reflect the religion of most people in that state, then: It's not that questionable, as long as the SBL operates an academic, Christian website.

Unless you're saying that you think your religion is better than anyone else's; and that the state should enforce this... :devil1:

Quote:

Many of the academic scholars in the SBL have been financed by the NEH.

So long as they keep religion -- yours or mine -- out of it.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Toto · 08-24-2009, 01:17 PM

See Dr. Jim's thread on the SBL.

The SBL claims to be engaged in the study of religion, which can be done on a secular basis with no religious commitment. (That's why it is one of the "humanities.") It can finance work done by non-believers like Bart Ehrmann and believers like Vernon Robbins, and you should not be able to tell which one lost his religion and which one engages in Christian missionary work from their sponsored work.

Toto · 05-05-2011, 11:10 AM

Update: The planning grant must have gone well.

SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE AWARDED FUNDS TO BUILD PUBLIC WEBSITE

Quote:

The site will begin production immediately, with a planned launch in 2013. Once completed, the site will become a powerful public platform for SBL members to speak directly to new audiences and to gain a stronger voice in the public square when questions arise about the Bible and its contexts.

“This is a huge opportunity for SBL to showcase the work of biblical scholars, educate and engage the public, and foster biblical scholarship,” said John Kutsko, executive director of SBL. “It also goes without saying that this award comes at a time of increasing pressure on the public support of the humanities at the state and federal levels. Thus, the award commitment is all the more significant in this context, and we are all the more grateful that the NEH has made us stewards of their support of scholarship, education, and the humanities.”

There's a blog post here wuth a view of the prototype.

SBL newsletter

Quote:

Bible Odyssey

This August SBL submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities a grant to build a website for the general public, called Bible Odyssey (the previous working title was World of the Bible). In the past year SBL and an advisory team used an NEH planning grant to develop the site concept and a prototype design. (Stop by our table at the Annual meeting for a preview.)

The site will be a useful undergraduate classroom tool and will offer SBL members a chance to hone their public communication skills. We will hear from NEH about funding in April 2011. Interested or have questions about the project? Email: Odyssey@sbl-site.org

Guest46854 · 05-05-2011, 12:57 PM

Fine.
Sceptics should have an equal institution, or at least major input into this one.
...but wish in one hand and crap in the other, see which weighs more?

stephan huller · 05-05-2011, 01:13 PM

I have actually been doing a lot of research into Morton Smith lately and some of the controversies he might have been involved (and which aren't generally known to the public). It is amazing to see how many times the NEH comes up. I hate to always be the voice of optimism and 'things aren't so bad now' but my investigation has shown how corrupt scholarship was in the 1980s and 1990s. The government used to hand out a lot of money to scholars through the NEH and this pattern emerges where scholars sit on the board dole out money to their friends (and especially people who publish journals) and then years later after they get off the NEH they end up publishing articles and getting jobs with these same people. It seems to me to have been a cesspool. And then you factor in how many people's jobs at universities rely on funding from outside sources (and back then government funding with the NEH) and you start to see how the game was played.

For instance I know of a scholar who is now dead who was always broke and completely dependent on getting funding from the NEH. When this other scholar (whom he knew and had earlier criticized his scholarship for being amateurist) turned around and denied his funding years later, a smoldering fire eventually grew into a very public break. The scholar who was denied funding eventually had no money. A friend arranged a private rich industrialist to basically put up the money which would essentially pay for his salary along with his donation of his whole personal library. So the guy is so desperate he takes the job with a no name university which ends up having to pay nothing for his services and getting a collection of rare manuscripts to boot

The guy who denied his funding aside from getting into a huge controversy with a third party has the third party try to have his job terminate at a reputable university and almost succeed until the guy who sat at the NEH managed to get private funding to pay for his job at said university.

My point is just that it would seem that funding was and probably still is a weapon used by and against academics.

Minimalist · 05-05-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

http://sbl-site.org/publications/art...?articleId=840

Quote:

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) has received a National Endowment for the Humanities planning grant to develop an interactive website that would improve public understanding of the Bible and its contexts. This website, “The World of the Bible: Exploring People, Places, and Passages” will feed the large public interest in matters biblical and will draw on the work of SBL members.

The Project Director is SBL executive director Kent Richards, who will oversee the planning phase for the website from September 2009 to September 2010.

...

The SBL will work with the New York design studio S2N Media to develop a site that is attractive, easy to navigate, and fully interactive. The website is in its early stages of development. An advisory board meeting at the 2009 annual meeting in New Orleans will set the approach, style, and direction of the site.

My tax dollars at work.

A lot of crazy xtians could use some help about what is in the damn thing.

After that, maybe they could do one for the constitution since most xtian fanatics don't seem to know much about that, either.

Atheos · 05-06-2011, 09:53 AM

This is a bad idea. If they were going to treat this "literature" as fairly, objectively and critically as they would treat the works of Homer, Aristotle and Aesop it would be one thing. Bible literature has played (and continues to play) a significant role in influencing behavior, public policy and the human condition. It is certainly worthy of that level of critique and study.

But true objectivity of that nature would draw too much anger from bible believers who vote. The word of God should not be treated like common fables.

So the material will be presented uncritically and with a slant likely to appease the masses who don't want its authority questioned. Whaddya know? There actually were 10 great plagues in Egypt followed by a mass exodus of millions of former slaves! In other news the world is only 10,000 years old.

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08-24-2009, 08:07 AM	#2
Roger Pearse Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: N/A Posts: 4,370	Seems somewhat questionable use of public funds. Why the SBL?

08-24-2009, 08:18 AM	#3
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	It's not that questionable, as long as the SBL operates an academic, secular website. Many of the academic scholars in the SBL have been financed by the NEH.

08-24-2009, 01:17 PM	#5
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	See Dr. Jim's thread on the SBL. The SBL claims to be engaged in the study of religion, which can be done on a secular basis with no religious commitment. (That's why it is one of the "humanities.") It can finance work done by non-believers like Bart Ehrmann and believers like Vernon Robbins, and you should not be able to tell which one lost his religion and which one engages in Christian missionary work from their sponsored work.

05-05-2011, 12:57 PM	#7
Guest46854 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: California Posts: 99	Fine. Sceptics should have an equal institution, or at least major input into this one. ...but wish in one hand and crap in the other, see which weighs more?

05-05-2011, 01:13 PM	#8
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	I have actually been doing a lot of research into Morton Smith lately and some of the controversies he might have been involved (and which aren't generally known to the public). It is amazing to see how many times the NEH comes up. I hate to always be the voice of optimism and 'things aren't so bad now' but my investigation has shown how corrupt scholarship was in the 1980s and 1990s. The government used to hand out a lot of money to scholars through the NEH and this pattern emerges where scholars sit on the board dole out money to their friends (and especially people who publish journals) and then years later after they get off the NEH they end up publishing articles and getting jobs with these same people. It seems to me to have been a cesspool. And then you factor in how many people's jobs at universities rely on funding from outside sources (and back then government funding with the NEH) and you start to see how the game was played. For instance I know of a scholar who is now dead who was always broke and completely dependent on getting funding from the NEH. When this other scholar (whom he knew and had earlier criticized his scholarship for being amateurist) turned around and denied his funding years later, a smoldering fire eventually grew into a very public break. The scholar who was denied funding eventually had no money. A friend arranged a private rich industrialist to basically put up the money which would essentially pay for his salary along with his donation of his whole personal library. So the guy is so desperate he takes the job with a no name university which ends up having to pay nothing for his services and getting a collection of rare manuscripts to boot The guy who denied his funding aside from getting into a huge controversy with a third party has the third party try to have his job terminate at a reputable university and almost succeed until the guy who sat at the NEH managed to get private funding to pay for his job at said university. My point is just that it would seem that funding was and probably still is a weapon used by and against academics.

05-06-2011, 09:53 AM	#10
Atheos Talk Freethought Staff Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Heart of the Bible Belt Posts: 5,807	This is a bad idea. If they were going to treat this "literature" as fairly, objectively and critically as they would treat the works of Homer, Aristotle and Aesop it would be one thing. Bible literature has played (and continues to play) a significant role in influencing behavior, public policy and the human condition. It is certainly worthy of that level of critique and study. But true objectivity of that nature would draw too much anger from bible believers who vote. The word of God should not be treated like common fables. So the material will be presented uncritically and with a slant likely to appease the masses who don't want its authority questioned. Whaddya know? There actually were 10 great plagues in Egypt followed by a mass exodus of millions of former slaves! In other news the world is only 10,000 years old.

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