Museum of the Bible

When it just doesn't fit anywhere else.
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JimFoxvog
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by JimFoxvog »

I thought folks might be interested to also look at a critical review: http://forward.com/culture/art/388102/w ... ign=buffer
The strongest criticism seems to be the connecting the Bible to patriotism and country.
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ken_sylvania
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by ken_sylvania »

JimFoxvog wrote:I thought folks might be interested to also look at a critical review: http://forward.com/culture/art/388102/w ... ign=buffer
The strongest criticism seems to be the connecting the Bible to patriotism and country.
Mr. Haber seems to have found exactly what he was looking for....

Critical: (1) expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments. (2) expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music or art.

If we're going to call this a critical review, I think we might have to use definition #1. Mr. Haber's review drips with disdain for the Bible and Christianity, and he seems to prefer innuendo to plain speaking. Four times he uses phrasing such as "to be fair" or "in all fairness" although he appears to value nothing of the sort.

Maybe for his next writing project we could send Lester down to tour the place for a week and write an extensive review!
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Ernie
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Ernie »

JimFoxvog wrote:I thought folks might be interested to also look at a critical review: http://forward.com/culture/art/388102/w ... ign=buffer
The strongest criticism seems to be the connecting the Bible to patriotism and country.
In all fairness, their inclusion of Jewish influence, Native American genocide, and American slavery is a giant step forward for evangelical Christians, who historically have preferred to gloss over these facts. Nevertheless, they are still subsumed by the same old Christian triumphalism. The Museum of the Bible acknowledges some difficult questions, but it doesn’t really grapple with them.

But that’s not the point. Religion in America is about feeling, not about historicity or (God forbid) right action.

Read more: http://forward.com/culture/art/388102/w ... t-have-to/
I anticipate the day when the bolded line above is no longer true in America.

Let's work toward the better day ...
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PeterG
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by PeterG »

ken_sylvania wrote:Mr. Haber seems to have found exactly what he was looking for....
I was thinking almost those exact words.

But a couple of Mr. Haber's observations struck me as significant in ways that probably didn't occur to him.
Dominating “Bible in America” is a bizarre series of murals [...] We see a disembodied, presumably divine hand with a quill pen poised above Article VI of the Constitution.
Assuming that this description gives an accurate impression of the mural, I find it extraordinary that a museum dedicated to the word of God would contain anything suggesting that the United States Constitution shares divine inspiration with the Bible. If this was unintentional, it is a horrible blunder. If intentional, it is heretical and offensive.
The Museum of the Bible is telling us unbaptized that, whether it’s American or Israel or “Nazareth,” it’s their world, and we just live in it.
This is, of course, the exact opposite of the New Testament's teaching about the place of God's people in this world. While I don't know the degree to which this thinking is truly reflected in the Museum of the Bible, I'm afraid that Mr. Haber's sense of the American Christian attitude is accurate, and it's unfortunate that the museum did not leave him with a different understanding.
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Judas Maccabeus
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Judas Maccabeus »

PeterG wrote:
Dominating “Bible in America” is a bizarre series of murals [...] We see a disembodied, presumably divine hand with a quill pen poised above Article VI of the Constitution.
Assuming that this description gives an accurate impression of the mural, I find it extraordinary that a museum dedicated to the word of God would contain anything suggesting that the United States Constitution shares divine inspiration with the Bible. If this was unintentional, it is a horrible blunder. If intentional, it is heretical at the least
For someone from most baptist churches these days, it is the norm. I run into this kind of stuff all the time, at a outreach to internationals that I work in, I am constantly having trouble with them feeding students this "Christian nation" line.

Last year, they (I have declined to participate, and they no longer ask me) presented this thanksgiving drama that was such that the students were asking "where is that in the Bible." I expect to be asked to leave sooner or later, because I answer with the truth.

J.M.
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Bootstrap
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Bootstrap »

I'm somewhat serious about the idea of a field trip. I think it would be interesting for a group to go there with an open mind and a list of questions. We could see how much we think it matches our own understanding of the Bible and its relationship to the Kingdom and the nation we live in. It would probably make the most sense if we left plenty of time to discuss it afterward.
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JimFoxvog
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by JimFoxvog »

Bootstrap wrote:I'm somewhat serious about the idea of a field trip. I think it would be interesting for a group to go there with an open mind and a list of questions.
I have some interest.

I'll be in the area around Christmas time visiting family. A few days before Christmas to a few days after would be my possible times.
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Z_DC
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Z_DC »

If you'd be available on the 21st or 22nd of December, I could make reservations. I won't be around for the 2 weeks after Christmas.
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Z_DC
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Z_DC »

Bootstrap wrote:I'm somewhat serious about the idea of a field trip. I think it would be interesting for a group to go there with an open mind and a list of questions. We could see how much we think it matches our own understanding of the Bible and its relationship to the Kingdom and the nation we live in. It would probably make the most sense if we left plenty of time to discuss it afterward.
Saturdays are going fast. Any availability on a weekday the week before Christmas?
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Z_DC
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Re: Museum of the Bible

Post by Z_DC »

PeterG wrote:
ken_sylvania wrote:Mr. Haber seems to have found exactly what he was looking for....
I was thinking almost those exact words.

But a couple of Mr. Haber's observations struck me as significant in ways that probably didn't occur to him.
Dominating “Bible in America” is a bizarre series of murals [...] We see a disembodied, presumably divine hand with a quill pen poised above Article VI of the Constitution.
Assuming that this description gives an accurate impression of the mural, I find it extraordinary that a museum dedicated to the word of God would contain anything suggesting that the United States Constitution shares divine inspiration with the Bible. If this was unintentional, it is a horrible blunder. If intentional, it is heretical and offensive.
The Museum of the Bible is telling us unbaptized that, whether it’s American or Israel or “Nazareth,” it’s their world, and we just live in it.
This is, of course, the exact opposite of the New Testament's teaching about the place of God's people in this world. While I don't know the degree to which this thinking is truly reflected in the Museum of the Bible, I'm afraid that Mr. Haber's sense of the American Christian attitude is accurate, and it's unfortunate that the museum did not leave him with a different understanding.
The section on "The Bible in America" features an enormous Belgian-made tapestry featuring people ranging from George Whitefield to Frederick Douglass to Billy Graham. The tapestry itself then lights up with quotes from various individuals in U.S. history talking about the Bible. Near the mural is an extensive series of display cases that emphasize competing perspectives on the Bible. The books arranged in the cases illustrate debates between prominent individuals. The Museum does not offer commentary on the books, but simply presents the opinions. For example, if one book argues for separation of church and state, the next might argue in favor of church authority in political government. In another case, a book might argue for the Bible being used as the core curriculum in a public school system and another book will argue against a Bible-based curriculum. Bibles given by slave masters to slaves with the book of Exodus missing are presented alongside newspapers published by William Lloyd Garrison advocating abolition on Biblical principles. To the extent there is an argument being made by the Museum of the Bible, it seems to be simply that early founders in the U.S. (Deists, Christians, Jewish, or other) used the Bible in making their arguments. For example, one placard points out that Benjamin Franklin did not claim to be a Christian, but he wielded Scriptural quotes to further his political arguments.
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