Latest Bible Translation Compromises Cult Belief System

By James Donahue

With the old King James version of the Bible under attack by critics with legitimate issues, it was only a matter of time before somebody came up with a new, compromising translation.

And leave it to a former Baptist minister, John Henson, a representative of the "One" organization, to produce the Good as New Bible translation in an attempt to fill that growing chasm.

But Henson's "translation" literally makes a mockery of the entire cult belief system established by Paul's writings some 2000 years ago. And if it is taken seriously by contemporary Christians, this book could send them on a path of fornication and free-style living that might rival the hippie generation of the 1960s.

"Instead of condemning fornicators, adulterers and 'abusers of themselves with mankind,' the new version of his first letter to Corinth has St. Paul advising Christians not to go without sex for too long in case they get 'frustrated'" writes religious affairs editor Ruth Gledhill for the London Times.

The new translation rephrases "demon possession" as "mental illness," and instead of calling Jesus the "Son of Man," he is now "the Complete Person." Parables are called "riddles," the act of baptism is now a "dip" in water, salvation is called "completeness" and Heaven is "the world beyond time and space."

Strange how Luciferian this new expression of Christian theology sounds.

The nicknames Henson gives some of the Bible characters are odd in themselves. He calls St. Peter "Rocky," Mary Magdalene is "Maggie," and the Old Testament priest Aaron is just "Ron."

While I expect the hard-core fundamentalists to coldly reject this work, some Christian leadership is already expressing excitement about Henson's "modern" version of that ancient book of lies.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, leader of the Church of England, said he believes it is a book of extraordinary power, although he admits that a lot of people will be startled when they read it.

"Instead of being taken into a specialized religious frame of reference as happens even with the most conscientious of formal modern translations and being given a gospel addressed to specialized concerns . . . we have here a vehicle for thinking and worshipping that is fully earthed, recognizably about our humanity," Williams said in an interview with the Times.

Williams praised Henson for eliminating "the stale, the technical, the unconsciously exclusive words and policies" used in the older translations.

We wish to offer a word of praise for Henson as well. He has shown that the back of the powerful Christian empire is beginning to crack.

And in a strange way, (without bothering to read the book) I have a feeling, from what I already know, author Henson is sliding closer to reality than anybody in that church has ever been before.