16AR21-03

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AR 21:3 - Why would Iran's nuclear negotiators lie?

In this issue:

ABORTION - new book-length study favors the name "pro-life" over "antiabortion," and finds that the movement's once-strong base of Catholic Democrats included Ted Kennedy

EHRMAN, BART D. - "The historical Jesus did not make history," he asserts. "The remembered Jesus did."

ISLAM - how two serious - but naïvely ignored - Shiite Muslim beliefs make the nuclear deal with Iran a great risk

SCIENCE - "Americans are becoming better educated and less religious, but not much more knowledgeable about scientific facts"

Apologia Report 21:3 (1,276)

January 20, 2016

ABORTION

Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe V. Wade, by Daniel K. Williams [1] -- "History professor Williams [Univ. of West Georgia] ... provides readers with a deeper understanding of the continuing debate about abortion in America in this thoughtful examination of the early pro-life movement, focusing on the period between 1937 and 1972. The sensitive nature of his subject matter is manifest from the outset, in a preface explaining that he feels that pro-life (as opposed to antiabortion) is the appropriate term for him to use as a historian because it is how activists in the movement described themselves. There's a lot here that will surprise even those who stay current with the battle over reproductive rights. Williams documents how the pro-life movement began with a strong base of 'Catholic Democrats who were committed to New Deal liberalism,' and who viewed protecting the unborn as consistent with the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. And it's likely to be news to many that both Ronald Reagan and Ted Kennedy originally had very different positions on abortion than they are currently known to have had. Williams presents an accessible look at how the pro-life movement shifted strategies and affiliations with changing times and political currents, even if not all readers will agree with his conclusion that its main cause was 'at its heart, a human rights campaign for the unborn.'" Publishers Weekly, Nov '15 #2, n.p.

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EHRMAN, BART D.

Ehrman's long-running vendetta against Scripture and the church continues with Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior [2] due March 1. Kirkus (Jan '16 #2) reports: "Understanding the role of memory in the formation of the Christian Gospels. In his latest work on the historical Jesus, Ehrman (Religious Studies/Univ. of North Carolina) delves into the oft-neglected role of memory in the context of the early Christian church. The author argues that memory is of paramount importance to understanding such basic Christian writings as the four Gospels, since these arose from remembered events and were written decades after the life of Jesus. Ehrman demonstrates the widely accepted view of scholars that none of the Gospels were written by people who actually knew and followed Jesus personally. As such, each is based upon the memories of others, often transmitted through unnumbered sources in the early Christian community. Understanding the science behind memory, therefore, helps students of the Bible to understand the origins of, and differences among, the Gospel s. Ehrman provides an intriguing overview of memory studies over the past century and introduces readers to a variety of important pioneers and studies in the field. The author finds that memory constructs the past. No matter if the topic is ancient history, recent news events, or personal happenings, the human understanding of all things past is constructed via memory. Furthermore, memories are often flawed or 'distorted.' This fact is simply a reality of the human condition; nevertheless, distorted memories lead to distorted history. Readers of the Bible can, however, assume that 'gist memories' are based in solid reality. Gist memories reflect the basic situation (e.g., Jesus was crucified) without potentially distorted qualifications (e.g., dialogue at the site of the crucifixion). Despite the fact that his work is highly critical of the Bible as history, Ehrman concludes that it is still important, just as Shakespeare and Dickens are important. 'The historical Jesus did not make history,' he writes. 'The remembered Jesus did.' An intriguing new angle on the well-worn field of 'historical Jesus' studies."

Visit <www.ehrmanproject.com> for scholarly rebuttals to Ehrman's claims.

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ISLAM

A lesson from the nuclear deal with Iran. In "First-Person: Taqiyya, Imam Mahdi & the Iran deal" by Ayman Ibrahim (asst. professor of Islamic studies, senior fellow for the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam <jenkins.sbts.edu>, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) opens: "Following news of the nuclear deal with the United States, Iranians celebrated in the streets over what they viewed as a national victory." He explains two serious - but naïvely ignored - ideological Muslim Shiite beliefs and the related "undercurrents which have likely played an important role in these talks.

"First, in Shiite Islam, the official religion in Iran, there is an Islamic principle known as taqiyya that refers to the concealment of beliefs, or pretending what is opposite of one's inner thoughts or convictions. Taqiyya is a form of religious and lawful tactical deception, or a form of a legitimate ideological lie."

The nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, "obliges the international community to request Iran's permission to inspect its nuclear activities. It requires stringent inspection permission to see a presumably 'peaceful' program. Moreover, it allows Iran two complete weeks to grant or dismiss this permission. If it is not granted, the other party has 10 days to respond. This grants the Islamic nation more than three weeks to rearrange the house. ...

"Second, while Sunni Muslims tend to look back to the golden days of Muhammad, his companions and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Shiite Muslims look forward to the future, to the days when the hidden Imam Mahdi (the Shiite messiah) will appear as the savior of Islam and will be victorious 'over the whole east and west of the world.' ...

"Iran can affirm whatever the U.S. and its five allies want to hear, supported by its ideological beliefs and eschatological expectations. When an opportunity arises to break the treaty to Iran's advantage, deal or no deal, every option is still on the Iranian table." Baptist Press, Jul '15. <www.goo.gl/wheuOo>

POSTSCRIPT: Feb 6, 2016

Reader response from Elliot Miller, editor-in-chief, Christian Research Journal:

Regarding the Baptist Press's article, "First-Person: Taqiyya, Imam Mahdi & the Iran deal"; this is a nonstory. First, there's nothing new here. These two beliefs are known to anyone familiar with Shi’a Islam, and that would include the members of the U.S. State Department who have been negotiating with Iran.

Second, while it’s true that the Shi’ite government should not be naively trusted, the portrayal of Iran’s agreement to the nuclear deal as some kind of subterfuge is inconsistent with the division within the Iranian government itself. It is the hardliners who would be prone to embrace such a strategy, but they have consistently opposed the deal, and their opposition could cost moderate President Mohammad Khatami the presidency in the upcoming election. The ones supporting the deal are moderates like Khatami, and they tend to be more concerned about reversing the economic hardships and international isolation imposed on Iran by the sanctions than with implementing any religious agenda. While no one should blindly trust even these people, who remain devout Muslims, I marvel at the cynicism that would interpret the fact that they have made good on their commitments to this point as a mere ruse. It is in their own self-interest for Iran to comply fully with the agreement, and it is in out self-interest and the interest of the entire world to give them a chance to do so. Or is war a better option? Furthermore, to think that within a few weeks they could shift gears and suddenly assemble all the components they need to become a nuclear threat betrays an ignorance of all the strictures of the deal and is itself naïve. So while we should not be naïve about Iranian intentions, neither should we be stubbornly and blindly cynical. As Reagan said about the Soviets and Obama and Kerry are now saying about the Iranians, “Trust but verify.”

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SCIENCE

"Trends in Scientific Knowledge, Education, and Religion" by Charles S. Reichardt (Psychology, Univ. of Denver) -- begins: "Knowledge of elementary scientific facts is all too sparse among American adults. A quarter of Americans remain unaware of the fundamental Copernican reality that the Earth rotates around the sun (as opposed to the sun rotating around the Earth). Of those who have that most basic knowledge, a quarter don't know the Earth's circumnavigation takes a year (as opposed to a day or a month). A third of Americans believe that astrology is at least partly scientific. More than half don't accept the fact that humans evolved from earlier species of animals, and 59 percent don't believe the universe started with a big bang. Unfortunately, ignorance of many scientific facts has not been substantially changing over the past few decades....

"But while scientific knowledge has often changed at most only slowly, noticeable changes have taken place in educational attainment and religiosity. In particular, educational attainment has increased while traditional religious beliefs and practices have decreased."

Regarding religion, Reichardt finds that "Religious affiliations have shifted substantially over the years. In 1972, 63 percent of American adults classified themselves as Protestants; by 2014 only 43 percent did. The percent of those who reported no religious affiliation rose from 5 percent of the adult population in 1972 to 21 percent in 2014. In contrast, the percent of Catholics and Jews have remained relatively stable...."

Reichardt reports that "over a ten-year span, the average level of education in the United States increased by a bit more than half a year." He summarizes his frustration: "Americans have become better educated and less religious. They have not, however, become much more knowledgeable about scientific facts." Skeptical Inquirer, Jan/Feb '16, pp42-45.

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe V. Wade, by Daniel K. Williams (Oxford Univ Prs, 2016, hardcover, 400 pages) <www.goo.gl/0CmzK4>

2 - Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior, by Bart D. Ehrman (HarperOne, March 2016, hardcover, 336 pages) <www.goo.gl/SCNRNy>

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