"The New Testament is the work of inventive but fallable men" Wow!!

[Sara Beverley]

This on the History Channel. Why hasn't RW protested this? Oh, I know, they don't even watch the History Channel. I was surprised to see this docu on Christmas eve on the History Channel.

[Maestro]

1. Despite what many think

the History Channel is pretty balanced; at least moreso than many other channels I know. Some programming is very RW slanted but other programming shows a decidedly liberal more humanistic point of view.

[Khephra]

2. I tell people here all the time to watch the History Channel religious

shows. More often than not they're Left leaning or, at the very least, less...restrictive about the "truth" of the Bible than most TV religious documentaries.

Heck, these shows practically endorse the idea that the Gnostics were screwed by the Church. (which they were)

Anyone who is interested in a historical study of these issues should really give them a chance. Oh, once and a while a fundie show or "Are Angel's from UFO's?" program sneaks in, but on the whole they're quite enlightened for TV religious programing.

[killbotfactory]

3. Reading the bible would lead a neutral person to that conclusion

Something most bible thumpers fail to do.

It even says in the bible itself that it was "inspired" by God, not written by him.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. As is the old testiment...

and the book of Mormon and the Koran and every ancient scroll found in a cave. Yet people will believe they are the actual words of God, these same people who read the current version, and have never bothered to read the original translated directly to english, which is much closer to the intent of the writer. A writer who was a man, "inventive but fallible"

Yep.

[Melodybe]

5. They had a really great documentary on Che Guevara

I was shocked that they had such a fair documentary on him.

[InvisibleBallots]

6. as is Thucydides, Seutonius, and Tactitus

And just like saying the NT was fiction would get you crucified (literally) 500 years ago, saying that Thucydides, Seutonius, and Tactitus are fiction will get you crucified (figuratively) today.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

7. Of course the RW won't protest.

It's the Old Testament that's absolutely sacrosanct. They couldn't care less about some Jewish hippie freak.

[Eric J in MN]

8. I think most people realiize it was written down around 300 AD (nt)

nt

[neebob]

9. It doesn't seem like such a radical idea to me

but then I was raised in the Mormon church, which has an article of faith about believing the Bible to be the word of God, insofar as it is correctly translated.

Granted, it's just a CYA to cover conflicts with the Book of Mormon and the "revelations" of so-called latter-day prophets. I rejected the faith a long time ago, but I've always had a hard time relating to people who believe that a collection of unrelated writings that went through this whole big political process to become a book could be anything but corrupt.

So there's an upside to my early brainwashing. :)