One wonders if the hundreds of Bible translations don’t muddle the message of Christ instead of actually making it easier to understand.
In the April 29, 2011 edition of The Week magazine I noticed an article in their Best Columns: Europe section stating that the Danish Bible Society has come out with a new bible translation in modern Danish to make it easier to understand for children. Jakob Holm thinks this might not be a good idea. I tend to agree.
Words like “blessed” have been changed to “lucky” and “meek” to “shy.” Not only are these renderings inaccurate, they are misleading. Being lucky means good fortune resulting from chance, whereas a blessing is something bestowed to a person. Meekness is a virtue, whereas shyness can almost be a character flaw. Holm states that children who can understand the difficult concepts in a Harry Potter book should be able to comprehend a few Christian terms.
To that I say, “Amen!” (Oops! Hope that “amen” didn’t sound too “Christianeese.”)
Now don’t get me wrong. I think modern day translations can be helpful in giving an overview of the Bible, but not for study purposes. To actually study the scriptures one needs to know not only what was written but when it was written, who wrote it, to whom it was written, why it was written, etc.
Probably if Jesus were walking among us today the parables would be filled with illustrations about CEOs, administrative assistants, waiters, fast food franchises, and day care centers instead of sheep, goats, farmers, and temple gatherings. However, although the scene might be updated, the messages he conveyed would remain the same.
That’s the tricky part. Many today don’t just want to make the Bible easier to understand, they want to take out the parts they don’t like. This is not a new concept. Some in the Bible only wanted to hear “smooth” things as well. (Isaiah 30:10) In other words, don’t confuse me with the facts. Don’t tell me my actions have consequences. Don’t tell me I will reap what I sow. Don’t tell me that to live a better life I might have to actually make some changes.
If we rewrite the bible to accommodate our preferences we dilute the meaning.
Besides, how much better do people want the message of Christ to be? Jesus loves us, he came to earth, he lived among us, he died for our sins, he rose from the dead, he lives and he offers us salvation. I guess the new Danish translation might read, “How ‘lucky’ can we get?”
