14AR19-34

( - previous issue - )

Apologia Report 19:34 (1,217)

October 10, 2014

Subject: Mounting evidence shows that it really is better to give

In this issue:

BIBLE CRITICISM - yet another hostile compendium for those who won't bother to do their own homework (and suffer the consequences)

GENEROSITY - "our collective stinginess diminishes our own well-being, connectedness, and sense of purpose"

ISLAM - excellent new infographics show its major schools and noteworthy branches

+ "the cultural biases at work in denunciations of Islam"

OCCULTISM - a history of rock music's infatuation with dark spirituality

------

BIBLE CRITICISM

The Bible's Cutting Room Floor: The Holy Scriptures Missing From Your Bible, by Joel M. Hoffman [1] -- Another scholar competes for a slice of the pie claimed till now by Bart Ehrman: "Translator and Jerusalem Post contributor Hoffman ... explains biblical stories by revealing lost passages, making them more understandable and plausible to modern readers. The author's knowledge of ancient languages shows early on, and he demonstrates how easily words can be mistranslated and entire meanings altered. Furthermore, a translator might alter a passage to make it more politically appropriate or relevant to the times. As Hoffman notes, there are anywhere from 33 to 78 books that could have been included in the Bible ('The Bible you usually read is an abridged version ... culled from a much larger selection of holy scriptures when new realities forced religions leaders to discard some of their most cherished and sacred books'). All of them ask timeless questions and offer different insightful answers about good and evil and the human condition. The author explores the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2,000-year-old documents discovered in a cave by goat herders in 1947; the Septuagint, a translation from Hebrew to Greek ordered by Ptolemy II in the third century B.C.; and the A.D. first century writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. Hoffman examines not only where they agree and where they vary from our modern Bible, but also the wealth of material that was left out. This is where the author shines as he explains that the Tower of Babel was built to protect against another great flood and gives the truth about Herod and Pilate. During the upheavals of the first century, many groups struggled to make sense of the changing times, and Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism are among those systems of belief that endured."

The reviewer's head-scratching conclusion: "A wonderful book to confirm the beliefs of the faithful, to strengthen those whose faith begs for more information and to enlighten those who reject the stories of the Bible as mere fiction." Any questions? Kirkus, Aug 1 '14.

---

GENEROSITY

The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose, by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson [2] -- "Only 2.7% of Americans tithe a 10th or more of their income to charity, say sociologists Davidson and Smith. Moreover, most donate very little - 'at least 86.2 percent give away less than 2 percent of their income' - and nearly half give nothing at all. The misfortune here is twofold, according to the authors of this compelling and well-researched study. It's not just that our collective stinginess deprives charities and the needy of funds, but that it also diminishes our own well-being, connectedness, and sense of purpose. By measure after measure (chapter one alone has 27 bar graphs), the book argues that the regular practice of being generous with our money, time, and relationships enhances happiness. Despite having similar life challenges as ungenerous people ('Generosity is not the result of people living charmed lives'), generous people are mentally healthier and more resilient. The authors come to the hopeful conclusion that 'Americans have not "topped out their capacity to live in the kind of generous ways that we expect could increase their happiness.'" Publishers Weekly, Jul '14 #2.

For more about the Templeton-funded initiative behind the research, see <www.ow.ly/Cx724>

---

ISLAM

Information Is Beautiful, a site that showcases infographic creativity, has done an impressive job of displaying Islam on three levels. The first of these portrays the major schools and noteworthy branches of Islam. As your pointer moves over different parts of the fascinating diagram, additional detail appears on the screen.

In a glance one sees that the Taliban represents a minor offshoot of the Deobandi sect, which itself springs from the Hanafi branch (20% of the Sunnis). Still, only the Shafi Sunnis constitute a larger branch (29%). Where does ISIS fit in? It is included with Al Qaeda in the Wahabi/Salafist sect of the Hanbali branch which makes up only 15% of all Sunnis.

The second infographic maps the distribution of "Sunni vs Shia" showing the percentage balance in "key Middle East Arab nations." And the third reveals how most of the world's Muslims are distributed globally by nation and region. <www.ow.ly/CiUQt>

The data artist, David McCandless, has applied his considerable visual and analytic skills to condense and illustrate a diverse collection of topics (with mixed results) including:

logic <www.ow.ly/Cxcji>

psychology <www.ow.ly/Cxcrk>

consciousness <www.ow.ly/Cxcvt>

astrology <www.ow.ly/CxceY>

Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy, by Jonathan Brown [3] -- "A scholar's sincere attempt to elucidate the true teachings of the Quran. Eminently qualified to present the finer points of the Prophet Muhammad's beliefs and teachings, Brown (Islamic Studies/Georgetown Univ.) continually asserts the magnificent tradition of Islam yet can't quite get around the well-known stumbling blocks - e.g., not allowing women to lead prayer and the concept of the martyrs' multivirgin reward in heaven. Who speaks for Islam? The ulama, or the learned ones, and they have turned to three sources: first, the Quran, or the 'unchanging record of God's revealed words,' derived from oral teaching before being put into writing; then, the Hadith, or the sayings of the prophet, which have grown around the Quran and are more ambiguous, controversial and 'amorphous'; and finally, the ideas of Sunni Islam (which Brown addresses rather than Shiite), or the collective consensus about law, ethics and dogma passed down for the generations of believers. ... What Brown does very well is underscore the cultural biases at work in denunciations of Islam - e.g., the Western perception of its excessive violence (jihad) and sexual perversion (the paradise of '72 virgins,' as well as the fact that Muhammad was in his 50s when he married the child bride Aisha, who was around the age of 10). ... Brown eloquently parses Islam's rich interpretive tradition, but his nuanced sifting of meaning does not necessarily clarify or convince. A delicate delineation that invites a more intimate look at the sources." Kirkus, Jul 1 '14.

OCCULTISM

Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll, by Peter Bebergal [4] -- hyperbole as history. "Bebergal ... displays an intelligent understanding of the interaction between religion and culture when he argues that the 'occult imagination is the vital force of rock-and-roll culture.' Yet his book is also maddeningly pedestrian at times. Bebergal details how, starting in the late 1960s through the '70s, 'Sex, occultism, and Satan would become synonymous in various pockets of pop culture,' and his examples include films ... and games ... as well as the usual suspects ... to argue that mysticism was 'not the only source towards unconventional spirituality available to youth culture. But in his recounting of many staples of rock lore - Led Zeppelin founder and guitarist Jimmy Page's fascination with the writings of occultist Aleister Crowley; David Bowie's 'messianic' obsession with 'aliens, magic, and mysticism'; and the blatantly occult 'arsenal of symbols' of Throbbing Gristle - Bebergal too often conflates the symptoms with the disease. It's not enough for him that 'Rock's essential rebellious spirit is a spiritual rebellion at its core, and this, like all forms of occult and Gnostic practices, is a threat to the establishment, be it political, religious, or social.' He must further claim that 'without the occult imagination there would be no rock as we know it,' an argument that basically ignores the many other influences on different genres of rock music." Publishers Weekly, Jul 28 '14.

-------

SOURCES: Monographs

1 - The Bible's Cutting Room Floor: The Holy Scriptures Missing from Your Bible, by Joel M. Hoffman (Thomas Dunne, 2014, hardcover, 304 pages) <www.ow.ly/Cj0Lr>

2 - The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose, by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson (Oxford Univ Prs, 2014, hardcover, 280 pages) <www.ow.ly/CiXdZ>

3 - Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy, by Jonathan Brown (Oneworld, 2014, hardcover, 384 pages) <www.ow.ly/Cj0xt>

4 - Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll, by Peter Bebergal (Tarcher, 2014, hardcover, 288 pages) <www.ow.ly/Cj08A>

--------

( - next issue - )