Disappointment of Biblical Proportions (a review of the Trump Bible)

As some of my readers may be aware, I am an ‘avid reader’ as the saying goes and a somewhat obsessive book collector. These last few years and certainly since the Plague times; I have become rather fixated on the acquisition of Bibles. Truly I am a Bibliophile in more than one sense of the word and that play on words amuses me no end.

Like many who may read and collect Bibles, I have particular favourite styles and translations. The King James Bible and the Revised Standard Version are classics of course. Examples are easily available and some quite reasonably priced. When it comes to more recent twentieth and twenty-first century publications, I have a particular penchant for the New English Bible and its updated edition the Revised English Bible. I think well of the English Standard Version and I am beginning to find my way around the New International Version.

Earlier this year I became aware of an American Bible being promoted and actively endorsed by the former President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump. This Bible is officially named the ‘God Bless the USA Bible’ but unsurprisingly, it has itself collected several other epithets. It is most commonly known by the remarkably descriptive sobriquet the ‘Trump Bible’ but I have also heard it referred to as the ‘Make America Great Again’ Bible. I suspect there may be more such colloquial embellishments but they are likely to be far from complementary. I am somewhat surprised that it hasn’t been labelled ‘Satan’s Bible’ but it all rather depends on ones political persuasion.

I was quite fascinated by a video on YouTube in which an American Pastor filmed his un-boxing of a copy sent to him. It was a most enlightening presentation and I was greatly surprised at what was depicted. For those of you unaware, this is a reprint of the traditional King James or Authorised Biblical text with an assortment of appended documents.

This ‘appendix’ includes the chorus to a song that I have never heard. This is same song that has given the Bible its name and it is written by a man I had never heard of before now. In order following the song are; the United States Constitution which includes rather ironically the Articles of Impeachment, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance.

None of these documents have any direct relevance to the Biblical text itself and are in point of fact, rather incongruous in their inclusion. I can only compare it to the possibility of a British publisher producing a King James Bible, with the text of the Magna Carta as an appendix. Yes, those who signed the Declaration of Independence; like those who signed the Magna Carta were all Christians but that is where any connection between the legal documents and the Biblical texts ends. It is all quite ridiculous and the entire contents of this Bible excluding the song lyric are public domain.

When I first became aware of this Bible it was priced at eighty United States Dollars, which equates to less than sixty-five British Pounds. It can be purchased from the official website for sixty United States Dollars, which is less than fifty British Pounds. This may represent a surprising price drop in the last few months but the higher price may have been that charged by book dealers in the USA. The details are unclear.

Whether it is eighty or sixty dollars, this is not a ‘cheap’ Bible. That asking price places it at the lower end of the premier or deluxe market. The Bible itself does not reflect the asking price, whether the higher or the lower. It is not leather-bound but comes in a synthetic, rubberised cover. I am mildly amused that the cover is itself, a light brown or tan colour. I shall refrain from any further comment on that coincidence.

Inside we discover that this is a red letter edition with the words of Christ shown in red. Otherwise the text is itself rather plain and the paper used is of middling quality. True the appendix is presented on a glossy paper but many handling this Bible have complained, as apparently these papers will stick together and sometimes tear. This is very poor.

This should in British Pounds be a ‘nine ninety-nine’ supermarket Bible (that’s less than fifteen US Dollars) but it is absolutely not a premier edition. It is therefore, a ‘cheap’ Bible in respects to quality and with all things considered, a very uninspiring presentation of the Word of God.

https://www.tumblr.com/chattering-magpie-uk/751474473037955072/donald-trump-the-beautiful-poetry-of

Tim Wildsmith ~ a review of the ‘God Bless the USA’ Bible as Endorsed by Donald Trump

Wisdom and Madness and Folly

The fallacy of the alpha male (in politics)

DICASTERIUM PRO DOCTRINA FIDEI

NOTE FOR THE AUDIENCE WITH THE HOLY FATHER: 13 NOVEMBER 2023. The Request of His Excellency, the Most Rev. Julito Cortes, Bishop of Dumaguete (Philippines). Regarding the Best Pastoral Approach to Membership in Freemasonry by the Catholic Faithful.

Recently, His Excellency, the Most Rev. Julito CORTES, Bishop of Dumaguete, after explaining with concern the situation caused in his Diocese by the continuous rise in the number of the faithful enrolled in Freemasonry, asked for suggestions regarding how to respond to this reality suitably from a pastoral point of view, taking into account also the doctrinal implications related to this phenomenon.

Membership in Freemasonry is very significant in the Philippines; it involves not only those who are formally enrolled in Masonic Lodges but, more generally, a large number of sympathizers and associates who are personally convinced that there is no opposition between membership in the Catholic Church and in Masonic Lodges.

To address this issue appropriately, it was decided that the Dicastery would respond by involving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines itself, notifying the Conference that it would be necessary to put in place a coordinated strategy among the individual Bishops that envisions two approaches:

(a) On the doctrinal level, it should be remembered that active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is forbidden because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry (cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Declaration on Masonic Associations” [1983], and the guidelines published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in 2003). Therefore, those who are formally and knowingly enrolled in Masonic Lodges and have embraced Masonic principles fall under the provisions in the above-mentioned Declaration. These measures also apply to any clerics enrolled in Freemasonry.

(b) On the pastoral level, the Dicastery proposes that the Philippine Bishops conduct catechesis accessible to the people and in all parishes regarding the reasons for the irreconcilability between the Catholic Faith and Freemasonry.

Finally, the Philippine Bishops are invited to consider whether they should make a public pronouncement on the matter.

Ex Audientia die 13.11.2023

Franciscus  & Víctor Card. Fernández

https://www.tumblr.com/chattering-magpie-uk/743307112954904576/ugle-statement-november-2023

I am against the shepherds

I am at home watching developments within the Anglican Church in North America (ACNC) over the course of the last week of January 2024. It’s hard for me to find the right words so I am going to lower the bar and be uncouth, it’s a sh*t show!

Father Calvin Robinson, a man known to hold strong views on homosexuality and the ordination of priestesses, was invited to speak at a conference in the USA called Mere Anglicanism. Father Robinson is an articulate, highly intelligent and somewhat upper class gentleman who although holding opinions contrary to my own, is certainly genuine in his beliefs.

Father Robinson was prior to the event provided with a brief and spoke for thirty minutes on the day itself. During his lecture he was critical of contemporary feminism and while quoting passages from the Bible, it was noted that some people got up and left the hall.

After his presentation two of the organisers of the event spoke to Father Robinson in private. It is alleged that they did so in a condescending manner. During this discussion they complained that Father Robinson had drifted from his brief and caused offence.

The final part of the conference was to end with all four speakers taking the stage together, for an open question and answer session. During the discussion as outlined above, the invitation to be part of that panel was withdrawn. The Q&A session still went ahead, with three panellists and one empty seat. That is a thumbnail sketch of the incident and it brings to the fore several important issues.

First of all we should perhaps address the brief. Father Robinson was invited to speak on critical theory (whatever that is). It transpired during the private discussion that he should have spoken on critical race theory (whatever that is). Whether or not the omission of the word race from the emails addressed to Father Robinson was deliberate, I do not know. Clearly that omission misled Father Robinson in regard to what was required of him.

I admit quite freely that the issues of most concern to the organisers of Mere Anglicanism are unknown to me. Nor have I any desire to explore them in depth. My interest and my observations are related purely to the incident as described and the mishandling of the situation in general. It may also be worth noting that elements of the conference and the theoretical basis of the presentations may have been focused on issues primarily relevant to the USA and may have little relevance to us here in the United Kingdom.

It has since transpired that if he had been asked to speak on critical race theory, Father Robinson would have declined the invitation to attend the conference. Although Father Robinson is black, he does not speak on race issues. His inclusion taken together with the presumption that he would or should, suggests tokenism which is both questionable and racist.

This leads us to another issue. I have in the past when a charity worker, been involved in the organisation of some quite large events. The choice of speakers for such events is based on many factors but it is generally expected that the organisers should know something about who they are booking. In booking someone there should be an element of research and vetting prior to a final confirmation. It appears in this case that the organisers may not have done their research to the necessary depth.

Father Robinson is a minor celebrity in Britain and although he may not be quite as well known in the USA, the organisers should have known what they were getting. To book a speaker while unaware of their style, their usual content and manner, to then give something of a dressing down and to then withdraw their place on the panel; all of this is in my opinion grossly unprofessional.

For people to get up and leave while he was speaking, to even do so while Father Robinson quoted Biblical passages, is problematic if one is a Christian and to be frank downright rude. That action may have caused offence to Father Robinson, as he certainly isn’t happy about it. I never thought that I would ever write a blog post in which I took the side of Father Calvin Robinson but don’t be too concerned, it won’t be for long.

This rather strange debacle finally came to its denouement when a bishop of the ACNC made a most extraordinary claim and stated during a sermon that Father Robinson may have an unclean spirit attached to him. This has not unreasonably caused even further offence to Father Robinson. It is important to note that said bishop has since made both a private and a public apology to Father Robinson (on YouTube). It takes courage to admit wrong and then apologise in such a public manner. We should acknowledge that.

I am against the shepherds and will demand my sheep from them. I will dismiss those shepherds: they shall care only for themselves no longer; I will rescue my sheep from their jaws, and they shall feed on them no more. – Ezekiel 33:10 New English Bible (1970).

The other recent Christian news story on which I will pass comment on and then only because Father Robinson has already shared his own opinions, are the recent meetings of His Holiness Pope Francis and the Most Reverend Primate Sir Justin Welby the Archbishop of Canterbury. A weeklong event in January saw the two primates come together in Rome during the Week of Christian Unity.

During this week in Rome the Most Reverend Archbishop held a service within the Vatican and apparently at the invitation of the Pope, blessed him. This isn’t the first time His Holiness has sought a blessing from the head of another church. In 2014 on a visit to Istanbul, he requested and received a blessing from His Holiness Bartholomew the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

The meetings in Rome between His Holiness and the Most Reverend Archbishop were part of an event called ‘Growing Together’ running concurrently with the Week of Christian Unity. Growing Together was a weeklong programme of dialogue and pilgrimage that took place in both Rome and Canterbury. It was organised by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), with support from the Anglican Communion Office and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.

Part of this event included the ‘commissioning’ of pairs of bishops from across the world, the two members of each pair are from the same country, yet one is Anglican and one is Catholic. The Pope and the Archbishop commissioned these bishops during a joint service to engage in a joint mission, to witness and to promote the reception of the agreements already reached between these two Christian traditions.

None of this is in my opinion particularly objectionable and the clear initiatives to heal the wounds of the past through such dialogue should in my view, be applauded. This perspective is not shared by everybody. Some ‘traditional’ Catholics are quite disturbed that what they regard as being a heretical sect (they mean the Anglican Church apparently), is being recognised as an equal partner with the Roman Catholic Church, which obviously it should be.

There are some complaints regarding the blessing of His Holiness Pope Francis by the Most Reverend Sir Justin Welby, as it may be interpreted as recognition of that equality. It seems to me that many of those who are objecting to this, the most recent manifestation of Anglican and Catholic dialogue; appear to be suffering from some form of intellectual retardation. They have yet to comprehend that we are not living in the eleventh century but the twenty-first. One can only hope that they will come to their senses and eventually join the rest of us in a somewhat more civilised society.

A further cause for concern is that two of the Anglican Bishops commissioned at the service described are women. Certain individuals who may hold what we can describe as a traditional perspective and in this I would include Father Robinson, object strongly to the ordination of women. Once again the suggestion that these bishops are equal to their partnered male colleagues from the Catholic Church has ruffled feathers amongst the more reactionary Christians. Here I do depart from the views of Father Robinson and I assume many others.

Perhaps I need to spell it out. The Anglican Church as with other churches is an equal partner within the greater milieu of Christianity. Women are equal with men, they can be ordained a priestess and they can rise to high office within the church. As with many questions raised by the reactionary followers of this an outdated form of Christianity, I find myself quite amazed that in the twenty-first century these issues are still the subject of debate. There are reasons that Christianity is fading away in some parts of the world, amongst those reasons is that it no longer has relevance and this is evidenced by these ridiculous arguments.

https://www.tumblr.com/chattering-magpie-uk/741132692037517312/rome-january-2024

God Bless America: How the USA is Obsessed with Religion.

A rainbow of hope

Giving a same-sex blessing was the ultimate joy by Alice Goodman (From the January/February 2024 issue of Prospect published on-line 6th December 2023)

Bright morning star – how you have fallen

A defence of the ‘Alphabet’ People

The God Loves You Collection 2023