 |
|
|
|
|
June 15th, 2012
10:00 PM ET
My Take: How I constructed 'The American Bible'
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Over the past year or so, I have been working on a book called "The American Bible." The hardest part was the table of contents. “The American Bible” isn’t a new translation of the Christian Bible. It’s my term for the texts that function like scripture in American public life, the voices to which we are forever returning as we reflect together on what America is all about. In some cases, we refer explicitly to these texts as “sacred” or “immortal.” At a campaign stop in Mesa, Arizona, in February, Mitt Romney implied that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution might be “inspired by God.”
In all cases, however, we treat them like scripture, returning to their words as we ponder the meanings and ends of our country, and invoking their authority in debates over gay marriage and taxes. In other words, these are the speeches and songs, letters and novels that continue to stir commentary and controversy, the voices that bring us together into the collective conversation that I see as the rite of our republic. But which voices to include in my book? Which texts have “we the people” embraced as scripture? And what are the key commentaries upon them? As I struggled to answer these questions, I knew I'd be criticized for the choices I made. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories When "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" appeared in 1987, author E.D. Hirsch was widely criticized for producing a list of “core knowledge” that was too conservative and too white. His 63-page list of people, places and events neglected knowledge that is central to the experiences of African-Americans, Latinos and women, many argued. With Hirsch and his critics in mind, I began the quest for my canon by devising some defensible guidelines. I decided right away that the book should be descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, I would aim not to create a canon but to report upon one; I would include not the voices that inspire me but those that “we the people” have revered. I then fixed on two criteria. First, I would look for texts that have generated conversation and controversy, books we value enough to fight about. Second, I would look for texts that speak to the meaning of “America” and “Americans,” telling us where our nation has been and where it should be going. I also decided that I would include alongside my “biblical" books extensive commentary about each, tracking their "afterlives" over the course of U.S. history. In other words, my “American Bible” would look something like an “American Talmud,” with extensive commentaries tracking the conversations Americans had about the Declaration of Independence during the Civil War and about the Gettysburg Address during the civil rights movement. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter When Nathaniel Philbrick referred to "Moby-Dick" as “our American Bible,” he meant that Melville’s classic is a big book that carries inside it the “genetic code” of American life. In my view, however, "Moby-Dick" has not been as influential as either Harriet Beecher Stowe’s "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" or Mark Twain’s "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," each of which has carried considerable weight in our national conversation about race. So I eliminated "Moby-Dick." Other cuts were more difficult. I am a big fan of “Leaves of Grass,” Walt Whitman's love letter to democracy. But I thought that “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ran even deeper into the American psyche, so "Leaves of Grass" had to go. Eventually, as the book ballooned beyond its limits, I had to let Longfellow's "Revere" gallop away, too. It just hadn’t provoked enough arguments. Also slighted in "The American Bible" are more recent voices, since it is harder to generate a vast commentary tradition for a work from the 1990s or 2000s than for one published during the revolution or the Civil War. Still, I admit that most of the voices in this collection are those of dead white men. In fact, the only living author of an "American Bible" book is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial architect Maya Lin. Nonetheless, women, native Americans, African-Americans and Muslims are among the authors of my “biblical” books, and voices of the commentators — from Frederick Douglass to Rosa Parks and Gloria Steinem to Alan Greenspan — are far more diverse. "The American Bible" also ranges, in its primary and secondary texts, far and wide across the political spectrum. Radical historian Howard Zinn and consumer activist Ralph Nader are heard here. So are conservative activists and intellectuals such as William F. Buckley Jr., Robert Bork, Rush Limbaugh and Antonin Scalia. When I finished constructing "The American Bible," I was delighted to see that there are lessons aplenty here concerning both what our forbears have said about our country and how they have said it. In a time when party passions threaten to divide the country, it is gratifying to recall the words our fellow Americans have used to try to unite it. In his Farewell Address, Washington warns us against the "mischiefs of the spirit of party." In his First Inaugural, Jefferson says, "We are all Republicans; we are all Federalists." "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies," says Lincoln. And closer to our own time, Kennedy reminds us that "civility is not a sign of weakness." My table of contents appears below. How have I done? What did I miss? What should I have cut? It's your book. Let me know. Genesis
Law
Chronicles
Psalms
Proverbs
Prophets
Lamentations
Gospels
Acts
Epistles
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke and Eric Marrapodi with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
|
|
|
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Help | Advertising Practices
Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of 
Terrorism: Killing those with no political power in order to cause those with political power to do what you want.
"And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead." (Exodus 12:29-30)
God is a mass murdering terrorist.
Say what you want about God. At the end of the day all of those people from that time period now lay in the grave, but God name is still alive. And long after we all pass and lay in the world of the dead, God will still be God. What can you do about it? All you can do is try to do the impossible and silence His name/ not believe in Him. Complain and insult Him complain and insult Him. The scary question is what will He do about those who are foolish enough to waste the life He gave doing this.
God created life...and eternal life...and the ability to love and to have families and relationships and joy...
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
Onward Christian soldiers
Onward onto war
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before
Kind of makes the turn the other cheek garbage and the love thy neighbour BS, that christianity espouses sheer hypocracy. Praise the Lord and pass the ammo.
RAmen...Peace and Love from the FSM.
The Lord gave man life, and he has the power and the right to take it away.
Who has had a bigger impact in this world than Jesus? No one, no one even comes close. The 3 most popular religions fortold His birth, and talk about His divine birth. This is someone who lived 2000 years ago and currently He is the most powerful Mman. He is no longer in this world yet He still has the biggest impact. How can anyone deny who He is? I dont understand how people can try to debate the existence of Jesus Christ lol its funny to me. Just think about it, a poor man over powered one of the most powerfful empires in the world simply in the name of love. He didnt use force or violence He used LOVE. I came to an conclusion that Jesus is the only hope for this world, all i can do is put my full trust in Him. His words spoke loud, but His actions spoke even louder. His words and actions over powered everyone before Him, during His time, and after Him. Jesus is truly the Son of GOD Almighty. Everyone before they judge should actually read about Him and meditate on His teachings. Jesus was tortured for people He never met, for people He knew would deny Him, by the people He came to save. Jesus spelled out love with His life. All glory, honor, and power be to Jesus the Son of God. “I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.”
Three most popular religions? That doesn't even make sense. Are you including Judaism? First, they don't revere Jesus, and second, they aren't even on the top three. Hinduism is 3rd and Buddhism is 4th. Second, Jesus didn't overcome the Roman empire. The religion started in his name came to power during the general dissolution of the Roman empire. Perhaps you should take some remedial classes to learn the difference between causation and correlation.
And there is NO direct evidence that the character you know as Jesus ever actually existed. He's probably a fanciful collage of a couple of rabbis, nothing more.
I like how he included Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." Way to stick it to the 99% with a book about glorifying Greed and world chaos.
The problem with Atlas Shrugged is that Rand assumes that the wealthy are moral beings who act for the benefit of mankind in order to profit. A brief look at any society where wealthy businessmen are allowed the freedom to pursue profit without regulations reveals this is not the case. Yes, those who act immorally do go out of business, but the human cost of their greed is more than any society will tolerate.
Yup.
Hey Like-Minded Madman, I wasn't trying to "stick it to the 99%" by including Rand. If you look at the book, it isn't just an anthology. It's MOSTLY commentary on each of these biblical "books." So the Rand chapter includes a lot of commentary, including some pretty caustic anti-Rand stuff, about the novel. In fact, some of the commentary I included was so negative the Estate of Ayn Rand refused to let me run an excerpt. Anyway, my book is not pro-Rand by any means–it's just trying to get the controversy on the table.
Ayn Rand is a perfect example of morality without God. All those who say that you can be good without God should read her book. Every man for himself and to hell with everyone else.
If the Bible was so important God, being all powerful and all knowing, would have made sure that there were no mistakes of ambiguities in it.
Can someone who is mortal, weak, and limited tell someone who is all knowing, all-powerfull, and eternal what and how they should do things? God needs no counselor or advisor we do. You and everything you see or know came from Him so im pretty sure He has everything under control.
So Follower of Christ if that is the case then he does not need someone like you to lecture me on his behalf then. He can do it himself.
So why doesn't he?
Without faith, there is no religion. Without doubt, there is no faith. Therefore, God inspired a book of doubt to inspire faith.
But what I can't figure out is why God wants us to believe what makes no sense and cannot be proved. Faith is not the same as love. God does not reveal Himself directly, so we cannot truly have faith in God. We are left with faith in a book of questionable authorship. Faith in the Bible is not the same as faith in God.
"But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."
"But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
"If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church"
Because butchering animals on a pedestal would go over so well in 21st century America. I think PETA would like to have a word with you.
That's an argument? For what?
Most of the world eats meat. All of us are going to die: man, animals.
Yeah, creator of the universe creates everything. Man ignores Him...doesn't bother saying "gee, thanks".
PETA v. God. I don't worship PETA.
Copies of copies of misinterpretations of someone else's mythology. Genius.
I like that the author included both the original "Pledge of Allegiance" and updated one.
Thanks, Michael. Obviously, there is tons of controversy about the "under God" insertion of the 1950s. But even before the Pledge dredged up church/state questions, it was being challenged in the courts–mostly for forcing school children to recite a formula. Is that American or the OPPOSITE of Americanism? That was the big question pre-Ike.
In Quran God speaks to the whole humanity ....
“Proclaim, He is the One and only GOD. The Absolute GOD. Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten. None equals Him." [112:1]
“They even attribute to Him sons and daughters, without any knowledge. Be He glorified. He is the Most High, far above their claims.” Quran [6:100]
“The example of Jesus, as far as GOD is concerned, is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be," and he was.” Quran [3:59]
“No soul can carry the sins of another soul. If a soul that is loaded with sins implores another to bear part of its load, no other soul can carry any part of it, even if they were related. ... [35:18]
It does not befit God that He begets a son, be He glorified. To have anything done, He simply says to it, "Be," and it is. [19:35]
God will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary did you say to the people, `Make me and my mother idols beside God?' " He will say, "Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. Had I said it, You already would have known it. You know my thoughts, and I do not know Your thoughts. You know all the secrets.[5:116]
The Messiah, son of Mary is no more than a messenger like the messengers before him, and his mother was a saint. Both of them used to eat the food. Note how we explain the revelations for them, and note how they still deviate! [5:75]
Thanks for taking time to read my post. Please take a moment to clear your misconception by going to whyIslam org website.
When My servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided. Quran [2:186]
Too long, didn't read.
@smk Search for 'The religion of peace Jesus Muhammad'. And please use your own mind. May God open your eyes!
Garbage as usual.
At least he tries, fulbright. Thanks for gracing us with your vicissitudes.
Perhaps a better FDR quote in the Proverbs would be, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"?
Hi Richard–Agreed. But that one is in the book, as part of FDR's First Inaugural (one of my "gospels").
Opium for the masses
opiate*
you are welcome.
God is good. His love endures forever. Everyone is welcome to visit – thestarofkaduri.com
P.S. AND his 'publishers' think his book is worth 14.95 in ebook format. Since I've been a published author for over 45 years now, and I own an ebook business, I state categorically that 15 bucks for an ebook is outrageous... particularly when the author is writing about a subject he CLEARLY doesn't 'grok'. Oh, maybe this 'author' understands 'religion' but he certainly does not understand the Word of God, and there is only one book that is Inspired by God: THE BIBLE. While someone has only put a toe in the water and not given himself to God, is not a follower of Jesus Christ, he has nothing to say about 'religion' that anyone who is a Believer needs to waste their time on... S. Prothero, cry out to God and allow Him to fill you with His Spirit... you are misleading and misguiding seekers of Truth. That Truth can only be found in The Bible... and God does not judge His people on how many verses they have memorized... only on their belief in him.
Says who? You? I'll remember to forget that.
I think your use of the word "grok", belies your limited publishing experience. In addition, this book is apparently about the US and its "sacred" writings, not specifically about God or the Bible.
Definitely an *A" for creativity but the American 'Bible' is a 2000 page contract of incomprehensible legalese which says everything we create, own or earn belongs to the Corporations.
You mean like our Facebook pages?
I wouldn't have thought of Webster, but great choice.
Yeah, I tried to include both obvious and less obvious choices. Webster's Blue-Back Speller taught a century of Americans not only how to read but also how to think about themselves and their country. It's been called our "linguistic declaration of independence."
Prayer changes things .
Heh... read the news lately? Just today a religious nut is arrested for killing a 4 year old 'gay' child. Syrian Islamic religious radicals are killing women and children. Pedophile priests are nabbed constantly. Ministers beat the 'gay' out of children, or beat their teenage daughters for 'insubordination'. Mormon and Christian cults repeatedly abuse and brainwash children behind walled compounds. The list goes on... and on...and on
Now... please reply with a similar story involving an atheist. You might find one... but I bet you gotta do some heavy, heavy research.
Joe Stalin atheist tortured imprisoned and murdered 24 million.
"This bbok is yours."
No....my book is the Holy Bible....inspired by God....written by men...revealing Go'd's love through His Son Jesus Christ.
" I have already called Sarah Palin a pith-headed bimbo from the back of beyond, in this column. I shall now go one step further. By attacking the democratically elected President of the United States of America at a sensitive time in her country's history, she shows the tact of a boorish drunkard bawling obscenities at a funeral. "
While I definitely agree Sarah Palin is pretty worthless, I disagree on one of your points. Obama may have been democratically elected, as have been every other president, save George Washington, no one can really know what a man is going to do during his term. As I talk to friends and complete strangers during my daily activities, I am learning that many who voted for Obama are completely fed up with him and what turned out to be a disaster in their opinions. His "hope and change" is not at all what they wanted.
I say this to say, that while he was voted in, the people in general (at least all I have spoken to- all democrats, by the way) did not "vote" for what he has done (or not done)... at least not directly.
Lincoln's "Malice toward none, charity for all" would be like Hitler speaking about compassion for Jews. Why do Americans revere such blatant hypocrisy?
@SciGuy,
Hypocrisy? What do you mean? This is from Lincoln's second inaugural where he is trying to heal a nation just out of Civil War, "to bind up the nation's wounds,". He's trying to get the country back together and limit the reprisals from things done during war.
... besides comparing Lincoln to Hitler is just offensive.
Lincoln had invaded a peaceful people for the sole purpose of subjugating them, forcing them to remain in a "union" from which they had peacefully seceded. He had directed the military slaughter of hundreds of thousands of them for the crime of believing in the right to determine what govt they choose to live under. To then speak of malice toward none and charity for all is about as blatant hypocrisy as one could imagine, right up there with a similar sentiment had Hitler expressed it toward Jews. No doubt it is offensive, it is meant to be. I am deeply offended that Lincoln murdered my countrymen by the hundreds of thousands and people adore him as some compassionate man. He was a hypocrite, and so are all those who revere him while claiming to believe in liberty.
Oh, look. A member of the KKK.
You are One Ignorant Person
Lincoln did not start the war. The South fired first at Fort Sumter
@SciGuy,
"Lincoln had invaded a peaceful people for the sole purpose of subjugating them, forcing them to remain in a "union" from which they had peacefully seceded. "
First, you can't invade your own country.
Second, as far as I'm aware, there is no secession clause or amendment to the Consti.tution.
Third, if you want to talk about hypocrisy then complaining about the southern states, with it's economy built on the subjugation of slaves, being subjugated is a great place to start.
You are embarrassing the rest of the US. Please stop.
My goodness. Dinosaurs still roam the Earth. Who'da thunk..?
Well I agree with sciguy that Lincoln should have allowed the south to secede (after bringing the African Americans up north of course). Of course they probably would have starved to death without all the food stamps provided to them by the government but oh well.....
Me2: "Second, as far as I'm aware, there is no secession clause or amendment to the Consti.tution."
Are you married? Did you include a divorce clause in your vows? I didn't in mine. So, when my wife tried to divorce me, I beat her within an inch of her life, and told her if she brought it up again, she'd get more of the same. Afterwards, I spoke to her of my great love for her and that I harbored no malice. Do you now revere me as you do Lincoln?
Phaedrus: ad hominem fallacy.
Jen, good one. Except the northern states despised the blacks, and most had laws against blacks living in their states. Some of the people wanted them free, but free down there, not up here.
Me2, I understand your concern about embarrassment. I too was ashamed of and embarrassed for the US when I learned of the atrocities our ancestors visited upon the South. But understanding it and repenting of it are vital first steps.
Every day there is proof positive that CNN is manipulated by the devil. The fact that they printed this 'article' is one more item in that list. There is one Bible only ... THE BIBLE. To call this guy's flight of fantasy 'American Bible' is blaphemous. He's not an inspired preacher of God's Word, he's just some kind of 'professor'... 'scholar', hmmm, yeah.right. He's just a dilettante... and THAT is my God-inspired 'word of the day' for a 'scholar' who is thinking in the dark of his b*tthole.
Did you even read the article? He wasn't replacing The Bible or saying that The American Bible is what we should read in church. This is a collection of books that he thinks that us Americans take to heart and treat as scripture. Stop being ignorant, we gave you the article, go past the headline and see what it's really about
Troll!
Wow, way to actually not understand a word you've just read ... unless of course you didn't read the article and just jumped to your own conclusions.
Another Christian commenter who jumped to a conclusion about what the article said without having read it. I for one found the article informative, because it unintentionally gave me one more reason not to vote for Mitt Romney. Didn't know ol' Mittens had said anything as stupid as that.