Holy Mo! Say It Isn't So!
By Alex

 One thing I like about the "Faith and Value" section of the Columbus Dispatch is its versatility. In spite of its religious slant, it does include opposing viewpoints. Plus scientific or archaeological discoveries that puts the bible in doubt. This delights the doubters and makes the faithful fume. Sects who read the latest article by Felix Hoover in the July 13th issue of the Columbus Dispatch, are seething. Below are the heading and some excerpts from it:

 How Real is story of Exodus?

 Evidence scanty, but theologians call message clear

  Moses didn't lead the Israelites out of Egypt anymore than Charlton Heston did, archaeologists increasingly conclude.

 The biblical story of Exodus recounts that Moses--portrayed by Heston in the cinematic classic The Ten Commandments--persuaded Pharaoh to release the enslaved Jews after l0 divine plagues. Then, it says, God parted the Red Sea to let his people escape from pursuing Egyptian troops, whom he drowned.

 Is the story literally true? Or is it an inspirational allegory? Scholars disagree--even those who do concur that the Bible and all its parts are divinely inspired.

 Bible readers also divide whether the Good Book is good history. A 1998 Gallup Poll shows that 33 percent of Americans believe the bible is the "actual word of God"; 47 percent think it is "the inspired word of God, but not everything in it should be taken literally"; and 17 percent say its a "book of fables, legends, history and moral concepts recorded by man."

 Not for jews, whose communal identity stems from the exodus story, said Stephen Garfinkel, dean of academic affairs at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

 "Whether the Exodus happened the way it was described is irrelevant as far as the the Jewish epic story; it takes on a life of its own," he said.

 "The narrative without God is not of value as a theological or religious document; the narrative with God is not historically verifiable. They are two separate realms of discourse."

 Scholarly reasons exist for ascertaining the historical accuracy of the Bible, but they don't enrich it as Scripture, Garfinkel said.

 Archaeological findings dispute the Exodus account, said Ralph Doerman, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley. He said evidence suggests wind might have blown water from a marshy area--a Reed Sea instead of the Red Sea.

 "In the most exaggerated account, the sea parts, like in Ten Commandments (movie)," he said.

 No Archaeological evidence is available to show that the Israelites were in Egypt or that the Exodus occurred, Doerman said. ------(unquote. Another excerpt follows by Rev. George Sparks, founder of the museum of Biblical Archaeology on the west side, follows);

 "The biblical reference of 3 million Hebrews leaving Egypt requires closer examination," he said. Some scholars believe the figure more likely would have been 30,000 or 300,000. The standing Egyptian army would have been 30,000 troops and chariots. If the Hebrews numbered 3,million vs. 30,000, they simply could have overrun the Egyptian army."

 No secular record confirms the demise of Pharaoh's host in an angry sea or even a marsh.---(It's quite obvious Rev. Franks escaped "The Herbeze Virus" and applied Paine's "Reason," AND logic. Following is another quote from the article);

 The time in which Ramses II ruled, 1279-13 B.C., is well documented, said David Citino, professor of English at Ohio State University.

 If an entire army of Pharaoh had drowned, that disaster almost certainly would have been documented by the Egptians, said Citino, who teaches a course on Bible as literature. "Egypt's defeats were recorded all the time, not just its victories," he said.

 If people don't believe that Exodus is accurate, how should they present the story to their children?

 Citino's choice is to expose them to the biblical accounts and let them analyze the content as they grow older.

 "I wouldn't go up to my 6 year old daughter and say, 'You know, this may not be true, but this is very important and you need to know it."---article ends.

 So now, where does that put Scott Ashley and his wildy-heralded, (intentionally spelled, Scott), WHY THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD bible course, that teaches that not one jittling jot nor one titillating tittle shall be removed? (Maybe Scott should enroll in Professor Citino's class).

 

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