Sunday, June 5, 2011

Actually, That's Not In The Bible

I thought THIS article on CNN.com today was interesting. Titled, "Actually, that's not in the Bible," it examines the reasons why people so often mistakenly attribute various quotes and 'pithy maxims' to the Bible, and why they so frequently go uncorrected by others when they do.  Here's a few interesting selections:

"The Bible may be the most revered book in America, but it’s also one of the most misquoted. Politicians, motivational speakers, coaches - all types of people  - quote passages that actually have no place in the Bible, religious scholars say... But people rarely challenge them because biblical ignorance is so pervasive that it even reaches groups of people who should know better... 'Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have never actually read the book,' says Rabbi Rami Shapiro, who once had to persuade a student in his Bible class at Middle Tennessee State University that the saying 'this dog won’t hunt' doesn’t appear in the Book of Proverbs... People may get verses wrong, but they also mangle plenty of well-known biblical stories as well. Two examples: The scripture never says a whale swallowed Jonah, the Old Testament prophet, nor did any New Testament passages say that three wise men visited baby Jesus, scholars say."

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