Banned FRom the bible

[BelieveinScience]

I was looking through the tv guide and saw a show called "banned from the bible" ofcourse I missed it. I started googling instead and found this article http://voices.yahoo.com/5-books-were-ba ... 99207.html

 

Why would books get banned from the bible? Are christians afraid of being wrong so anything that is considering contradictory and makes it sound as if God didn't write it taken out even though they say the bible is gods word? thoughts?

[fundiefan]

I know I watched that! I just wish I could actually remember the details.

[Anise]

Actually, I was discussing this with my liberal, questioning Christian brother and my very conservative father yesterday. Why some things got in the Protestant Bible while others didn't is pretty political. That article makes it sound as if there were good reasons for excluding those books and implies that the Protestant Bible is as solid as rock, when in fact...

All we can really tell of the New Testament era writings are the bad, obviously gnostic writings (Gospel of Thomas for example), but we can't tell the really good forgeries from the real, and there is no way of knowing. And the truth is that some of the books still in there are really questionable- some, like Revelations according to John, is obviously a gnostic text, yet, it's still in the Protestant Bible.

As for why many of the books aren't in there- it's because they fall in between the time of the OT prophets and the NT books, which was why they weren't included in the Jewish Bible. The Protestant Bible just sticks various writings of the time that they agreed with on top of the Jewish Bible and called it good. Also, I think they just didn't like the woman warrior figure in Judith. ;)

[AudreyE]

There were many schools of Christian thought in the beginning, and many ideas about Jesus and salvation that are different from today's canon. Naturally, the ideas that were supported by the most powerful people won out over the many others. The people in power eliminated any scripture that might be taken to support the ideas they were trying to eliminate.

Bart Ehrman's books about this are very interesting.

[gustava]

There were many schools of Christian thought in the beginning, and many ideas about Jesus and salvation that are different from today's canon. Naturally, the ideas that were supported by the most powerful people won out over the many others. The people in power eliminated any scripture that might be taken to support the ideas they were trying to eliminate.

Bart Ehrman's books about this are very interesting.

Also Elaine Pagels, particularly Gnostic Gospels.

[Justme]

I've seen this. It's a very old show on the Hisrory channel. I thInk it's a bad title. There are many writings that have been discovered after being lost for hundreds of years. Think of it this way, what if a Steve Maxwell book was lost and then found after 1000 years. I shudder to think his works should be viewed as holy and important. You have to watch it and see how they fit in your beliefs.

[BelieveinScience]

The book about mary from that explanation in the article made it sound like because Jesus lgave her more info than the boys. So they threw it because it would show Women have more power than the men want?

And if the books were voted in by who ever was more powerful how do they know it was God's writings and not the powerful persons?

This all makes me question the bible even more.

[Anise]

Great question to ask fundies: So is the Catholic version of the Bible less inspired and protected than your version?

Eh, probably wouldn't help as they believe that inspiration and protection only extends as far as the King James Version. :?

[chiccy]

As for why many of the books aren't in there- it's because they fall in between the time of the OT prophets and the NT books, which was why they weren't included in the Jewish Bible.

I think the Jewish Bible includes the Septuagint, no?

[gustava]

Great question to ask fundies: So is the Catholic version of the Bible less inspired and protected than your version?

Eh, probably wouldn't help as they believe that inspiration and protection only extends as far as the King James Version. :?

So NOT a question for fundies as the KJV is the definitive word of God/Yahwey/Elohim............

[Anise]

I think the Jewish Bible includes the Septuagint, no?

According to my brother, they didn't include anything after 300 BC. I think he got that from his Jewish Studies professor. But I'm really not sure of its veracity.

[SpeakNow]

You can watch the documentary for free online (if anyone's interested)

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/banned-from-the-bible/