{"id":3235,"date":"2011-06-12T12:36:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/06\/cnn-takes-on-biblical-literacy.html"},"modified":"2011-06-12T12:36:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-12T12:36:00","slug":"cnn-takes-on-biblical-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/06\/cnn-takes-on-biblical-literacy.html","title":{"rendered":"CNN takes on biblical literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

And gives plenty to talk about.\u00a0 It was an interesting article<\/a>.\u00a0 Like most things in the press, however, it said more than it needed to in some areas, and less than it needed to say in others.\u00a0 For instance, it could have focused more on quotes that not only are not in the Bible, but also fly in the face of the traditional Faith of the Bible.\u00a0 For instance, \u2018God helps him who helps himself\u2019, or \u2018God won\u2019t give us more than we can endure\u2019.\u00a0 Not only are those not in the Bible, but they actually contradict the overarching messages of the Bible. <\/p>\n

Some of what the article says, that Satan never tempted Eve (it was a serpent), are taking a purely literalistic scholarly look at the Bible, and ignoring the role of theology and doctrine.\u00a0 The idea that Satan tempted Eve is not some strange spin, but solid biblical theology going back to the beginning.\u00a0 That\u2019s different than Ben Franklin whipping out his own private spin on things and adding where he saw fit.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Others, such as the Three Wise Men, are known to most who have any training in the Bible.\u00a0 We know that the Bible never said there were three.\u00a0 That number comes from the gifts.\u00a0 But it is an ancient tradition that is outside of the Scriptural corpus, and we don\u2019t know if it is right or wrong \u2013 the Bible is silent about it.\u00a0 We also know that the Gospel of Matthew is different than the Gospel of Luke\u2019s account, though Hallmark and Department stores were more than happy to combine the two in order to force a singular consumer based day of getting<\/strike> giving. <\/p>\n

More problematic were the article\u2019s occasional attempts to move into its own version of \u2018what the Bible really should have said.\u2019 One thing that has gotten much attention in our anti-spanking media has been the revelation that \u2018spare the rod and spoil the child\u2019 isn\u2019t really in the Bible.\u00a0 Problem?\u00a0 It is. Not in those exact words, but the essence is clearly there:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cHe who spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes\u201d (Proverbs 13:24) and \u201cWithhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell.\u201d (Proverbs 23:13-14)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So while the exact phrasing isn\u2019t \u2018spare the rod, spoil the child\u2019, in this case it is a simplification of what is in the Bible.\u00a0 Yet already the web is abuzz with folks saying \u2018see, the Bible never said you should spank your kids!\u201d\u00a0 Well, it certainly said you should discipline them, and used the imagery of using a rod to do so.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

So like all things when you hand religion over to the press, expect \u2013 at best \u2013 some interesting points, a few neat discussions, some mountains made from molehills, and a few flagrant errors and factual inaccuracies, often in order to advance this or that latest ideal that the press has embraced.<\/p>\n

By the way, I see some Protestants have also taken issue with the article\u2019s assertion that this practice of adding to Scriptures is more prevalent since the Reformation.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if it is or isn\u2019t.\u00a0 I know that the Protestant sensitivities about keeping it in the Bible means most Protestants would worry about such things more than informed Catholics, who are aware that just because something \u2013 like the Three Wise Men \u2013 isn\u2019t in the Bible, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not worth retelling.\u00a0 Of course the Reformation and its focus on individual interpretation may have had an impact. I\u2019m sure that would be difficult to get down to, by way of axes to grind and defenses to put up.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And gives plenty to talk about.\u00a0 It was an interesting article.\u00a0 Like most things in the press, however, it said more than it needed to in some areas, and less than it needed to say in others.\u00a0 For instance, it could have focused more on quotes that not only are not in the Bible, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCNN takes on biblical literacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"And gives plenty to talk about.  It was an interesting article.  Like most things in the press, however, it said more than it needed to in some\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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