Journal insanecarbonbasedlif's Journal: [Religion] Thoughts on readings (pt. 4) 8
So I just finished reading The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture by Wright, N.T. (it's published in the U.K. under the title Scripture and the Authority of God - I'm not sure why the need for an alternate title... war sells better in the U.S.A.?). This was a much less condescending and dogmatic book than the last one, and therefore much more readable. However, he doesn't set out to address some things that are core issues for me about belief in god in general and about how compelling the Bible can be to a modern rationalist. So, not much for me to dig up in that vein of things, though I gathered he's got a bit of distaste for modernist ontological claims... His modes of understanding the Bible are certainly more fluid and palatable than the brand of fundamentalist Sola Scriptura interpretation that I grew up under. That said, I need to be shown a reason (or a few) to *try* and follow the Bible before a book about *how* to follow it really can illuminate things. If you're already at the trying to follow stage, though, I think this book is well written and thought out enough to warrant a read. (It's a quick read, too)
Bishop Tom (Score:2)
I'm not sure why the need for an alternate title... war sells better in the U.S.A.?
They do things like that all the time. There is an assumption that Americans prefer more aggressive, hard-hitting tone, while that is assumed to be very off-putting to a Brit.
Bill Bryson once made the memorable comparison of medical advertising: A TV ad for a cold remedy in Britain (or elsewhere in Europe) would show a person in their bathrobe late at night, coughing and wheezing, then their spouse gives them some of the
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There is an assumption that Americans prefer more aggressive, hard-hitting tone, while that is assumed to be very off-putting to a Brit.
Or sometimes it's simply that Americans are stupid. That was the reason for "philosopher" becoming "sorceror" in the title of the first Harry Potter book. The publishers were worried that philosopher made the book sound too high brow. Pullman's "Northern lights" became "The golden compass" over there, although the reasons for that are somewhat unclear. The alethiometer is certainly not a compass. Pullman originally considered calling it "The golden compasses" (plural, referring to the drafting tool, not th
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Or sometimes it's simply that Americans are stupid.
Or that they merely make that (erroneous) assumption.
Various books cross the Atlantic in the other direction and are subjected to editing and localization as well, so it's hardly as if this is anything unique to Americans reading British books.
Cheers,
Ethelred
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that reasoning doesn't make sense, or maybe it does (!), because changing it to sorcerer gets a lot of ultra-fundamentalists' panties in a bunch. it might've been done to get publicity, not that it really needed it. or maybe they didn't even care that kids of fundamentalist parents wouldn't be allowed to read it.
northern lights became the golden compass because there was a popular show on called "northern lights". duh. :P
dude, i agree that there are a bevy of stupid americans, but man, i've now been abro
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I'll forewarn you: Nicky has some strange views that annoy me a little (like his stance on homosexuality) but at least he generally doesn't shove it in your face like a lot of more evangelical people do. He's also the leading light behind the Alpha courses [alpha.org], which are a sort of informational course about the basics of Christianity. But overall he still makes a lot of good points and observations.
His debunking of The DaVinci Code [google.co.uk] is also worth a watch.
Cheers,
Ethelred
Another sermon, by the way (Score:2)
I just posted another sermon [multiply.com], for what it's worth. More reading for you. :-)
Cheers,
Ethelred
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