Jim Guinee wrote... Second of all, sometimes bible scholars like Ehrman make ridiculously inane remarks. I've never met a liberal or conservative Christian who actually believes the originals of the New Testament exist.
Mike wrote... WHEW! That's a relief! However, pardon me if I request that you provide a little more empirical evidence on this point. Are you aware of any surveys or polls on the subject, specifically asking whether: (a) a person believes in the literal truth of the Bible and (b) whether it would make a difference to the person's belief if the original texts are missing and we only have copies of copies that contain errors and (c) does the person know that we do not have the original manuscripts for the New Testaments, only suspect copies that are known to vary on the same Gospel? I'd really like to get good empirical data on those points and I eagerly await your supplying them. Aubyn writes... If the question is "Do the physical original copies of New Testament documents exist?" then I agree with Jim that I have never meant anyone who believes that. However if the question is "Do we have access to accurate reproductions of the original New Testament documents?" then I think I have met a lot of people who believe the answer is yes. These people do not believe that Jesus and his friends spoke English, but they do believe that miraculous processes ensured that the KJV and its progeny preserve to the level of specific words chosen the original texts. Variations in English translations are either ignored, glossed over, or resolved by focusing on one translation as more accurate than another (admittedly difficult without the originals to referee). In answer to Mike's question a, I am aware of the following from the good people at Gallup: http://poll.gallup.com/content/?ci=22885 (need to pay for more details, or sign-up for a 30-day trial, though see here http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2006/05_31_2006/ne310506literal .shtml for an secondary account) "There has been a gradual decline over the past 30 years in the percentage of Americans who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God. Roughly 3 out of 10 Americans continue to profess belief in a literal Bible today, about 10 percentage points lower than was the case three decades ago." **************************************************** Aubyn Fulton, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology & Social Work Pacific Union College Angwin, CA 94508 Office: 707-965-6536 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
