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SALT LAKE CITY -- Bible scholars are about half way through a 20-year project to codify thousands of changes that worked their way into the New Testament as it was translated over time.
The Religion News Service reports scholars at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary are building what they hope will be the world's first searchable online database of changes, aimed to help serious Bible students and professional scholars.
The changes are found in verses, words, or even letters added to the text over time. Many of the early changes are well known, and have been for hundreds of years.
In other religion news:
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints noted the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible this month. The book is the official English Bible of the LDS church, which undertook a massive project completed in 1979 to create its own improved King James Version. It includes study helps and other LDS-related resources.
- A Hasidic newspaper in New York, Der Tzitung, apologized for airbrushing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from a White House photo of the Situation Room during last week's raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani compound. Melissa Bell blogs in the Washington Post that Der Tzitung sent an email saying it apologized to the White House and State Department and didn't mean to be offensive. The paper said it doesn't publish pictures of women for religious reasons, citing laws of modesty.
- After decades of debate, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Tuesday struck down a barrier to ordaining gays, ratifying a proposal that removes the celibacy requirement for unmarried clergy. The Associated Press reports it's the latest mainline Protestant move toward accepting gay relationships.
- The AP also reports religious groups in Australia are allowed to discriminate against people who are gay or transgender. That's drawing criticism from gay rights activists who find it "galling" that religious social service programs receive millions of dollars in government funding.
- Members of the BYU women's rugby team won't face a situation like last year's this time around. The team was one win away from reaching the collegiate final four for the first time in its history, but the 35 team members chose to observe the Sabbath instead of play the game which took place on a Sunday. That move made national headlines. This year the Cougar women have qualified for the final four and will face Army on Friday in California. If they win they will earn a chance to play for a national championship. The title game is scheduled for a Saturday.
E-mail: lwilliams@ksl.com
