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105 - Religion: Today's
Puzzle? •
Was
James The Step Brother of Jesus? Click For
Answer •
Q&A01aBeliefGodWhy?
10e
-Why Do You Believe •
Q&A01b
- Burial Box Bears Inscription of 'James
... Brother of Jesus' •
Q&A01c
- Discovery Consistent With
Bible •
Q&A01d
IN THEORY - Are archeological findings
relevant in matters of
faith? •
Q&A02a
Priest Scandal Could Set History in
Motion •
Q&A02b
THE
NATION
Billy
Graham Apologizes for '72
Remarks •
Q&A03a
China's Next Challenge: Christians and the
Microchip •
Q&A04b
Do
You Believe In
God?
-
Survey Measures Thoughts on Religion
From Various Wire Reports. In a look at
Americans' beliefs, a new survey shows
that 44% think the Bible, the Koran and
the Book of Mormon express the same
spiritual
truths. SPECIAL:
Billy Graham / Nixon Recording: Subject:
Truth More
at Enoch
02 •
105 - Religion:
The modern day highs and lows of
Religion is regularly featured in this
section. It's about the self-serving
slippery slopes written into God's
instructions to mankind . . .and the fate
of the religious caretakers of souls that
will slip, skip and slid from grace for
failing to practice what they preach. TVI
Magazine seeks the answers to the
connection between race, politics and
religious beliefs. • TVI
Magazine HOLLYWOOD
BEAT LookRadio NBS100 01
Feature Stories - Today's Puzzle -
Q&A •
Q&A01b
- Burial Box Bears Inscription of 'James
... Brother of
Jesus' •
Q&A01d
IN THEORY - Are archeological findings
relevant in matters of
faith?
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Survey
Measures Thoughts on Religion From Various
Wire Reports
In a look at Americans' beliefs, a new
survey shows that 44% think the Bible, the
Koran and the Book of Mormon express the
same spiritual truths.
The "Book
of Enoch" is an ancient text,
older than most of the
Bible.
The
modern day highs and lows of Religion
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106 -
Government
•10e
Q&A01a-
Why Do You
Believe?
•••A
new study of what Marx was getting at --
not if there is a God and not whether it
makes sense that humans should believe,
but simply why humans
believe.
•••The
study analyzes the results mostly in terms
of political divisions. It found that
politically conservative Christians
described a godless world "as one of
incessant conflict and chaos, expressing
strong apprehension regarding people's
inability to control their impulses and
the attendant breakdown of social
relationships and societal
institutions."
•••Liberal
Christians, on the other hand, had a
different set of concerns. For them, a
world without God would be "barren or
lifeless, lacking in color and texture, an
empty wasteland that would not sustain
them" and in which they would feel
lost.
•••All
of the respondents generally imagined life
without God as "entailing fear, sadness,
interpersonal isolation and loss of
meaning and hope."
•••The
political findings are intriguing, but not
nearly as interesting as the way the
question and the answers it elicited get
at deeper, core issues. It appears that we
do believe out of need, but it's not, as
Marx suggested, primarily because of
material deprivation. Instead, it looks as
if faith answers fear, and many different
kinds of fear, which we can begin to
delineate in some detail.
•••In
the end, even these specifics don't
intrigue me as much as this fact: Zero-sum
arguments about faith and faithlessness
just go round and round, generating heat
and no light. It's better to return to
real knowledge and fundamental questions.
Rather than arguing over the existence of
God, rather than playing
believer-nonbeliever gotcha, we learn a
whole lot more if we just keep asking
ourselves -- in as many new ways as
possible -- why it is that so many of us
feel compelled to pray.
•••The
study, by psychology professor Dan P.
McAdams and researcher Michelle Albaugh,
was aimed at finding out about the
religious sources of political leanings.
They interviewed 128 devout Christians in
and around Chicago, and they avoided the
usual questions of "How do you know God
exists" or even "Why do you believe?"
Instead, they asked their subjects to
describe what their lives and the world
would be like if they did not have faith.
In other words, what would the world be
like if Christopher Hitchens were right
and there were no
God? -
CLICK
FOR MORE BIBLICAL STUDIES
@#Q&A04b.
The finding
could be the earliest archeological
evidence of the of the biblical
figure.
However, scholars say they may never know
for sure.
•••
October 22, 2002 -- A
French scholar has discovered what may be
the earliest archeological evidence of
Jesus a 1,940-year-old limestone burial
box bearing the inscription "James, son of
Joseph, brother of Jesus
•••
The
20-inch-long box for holding the bones
of the dead,
known as an ossuary, dates from AD 63 and
all evidence suggests that it is genuine
and not a forgery, said paleographer
André Lemaire of the Sorbonne
University in Paris, who discovered it in
a private collection.
The discovery, which so far has survived
the scrutiny of a variety of scholars and
scientists, could be one of the most
important finds in New Testament
archeology, said Hershel Shanks, publisher
of the Biblical Archeology Review, which
is reporting Lemaire's findings in its
November/December issue. Until this find,
the oldest existing text with the name
"Jesus" was a papyrus fragment of the New
Testament dated about a century after
Jesus' death. One of the major questions
facing historians is whether the James
mentioned in the inscription is actually
St. James, who headed the church in
Jerusalem after Jesus' death, or whether
the inscription refers to another family
entirely.
•••
Although Lemaire said at a news conference
Monday that it is "very probable" the box
held the bones of St. James, P. Kyle
McCarter of Johns Hopkins University told
the same gathering that "we may never be
absolutely certain."
••• "In the work I
do, we are rarely absolutely certain about
anything," he said.
••• "It is real,"
said John McCray of Wheaton College in
Illinois. "The big question is, are we
100% sure that the reference is to Jesus
[Christ]? The answer is no, we are
not 100% certain, but the probabilities
are very strong that it is."
••• The
reservations stem from the fact that no
one knows where the ossuary has been for
19 centuries. The unidentified Israeli
collector who owns the ossuary purchased
it 15 years ago from a Jerusalem
antiquities dealer for "$200 to $700,"
Lemaire said. The dealer, in turn, bought
it from an Arab who said he found it in
Silwan, a Jerusalem suburb that is the
site of thousands of tombs.
••• McCarter said
he was disappointed that there was little
information available about the ossuary's
original location and history. "This
leaves us in the awkward position of
always having doubts," he said. "They will
always be there."
••• Ossuaries were
used by Jews in the 1st century AD,
transferring bones from burial caves to
the boxes after all the flesh had
naturally decayed. The practice was
largely abandoned after the destruction of
the Jewish Temple in AD 70. No one is
quite sure why the practice started or
stopped, but it provides a rare period of
self-documentation in which commoners as
well as leaders left their names carved in
stone.
••• Lemaire is a
well-known epigrapher who specializes in
analyzing texts from the early Christian
era. He was shown the ossuary on a visit
to Jerusalem this year. The owner did not
recognize the significance of the
inscription.
••• The box is
trapezoidal in shape, slightly wider at
the top than the bottom. The lid is
slightly convex. The inscription on the
side is in simple Aramaic, in a cursive
form of writing that was used only from
about AD 10 to AD 70, Lemaire said.
Aramaic was spoken throughout the Near
East from about 300 BC to AD 650, and was
the language of Jesus and his
contemporaries.
••• Lemaire was
suspicious of the text at first because it
had an unusual way of saying "brother
of."
••• But a search
of other documents from the period by
Lemaire revealed similar phraseology,
thereby lending authenticity to the
ossuary. It's unlikely a forger would have
chosen such phraseology, he said.
••• Laboratory
tests performed by researchers at the
Geological Survey of Israel confirm that
the box is made from a porous limestone
from the Jerusalem area. Most important,
the box is coated by a thin patina, or
sheen, indicating that it was stored in a
cave for centuries. That patina covers the
inscription as well as the box, the
researchers found, and it contains no
chemicals indicating that it is of modern
origin.
••• There is "no
evidence that might detract from the
authenticity" of the bone box, the Israeli
Geological Survey wrote.
••• The bones were
missing from the ossuary because they were
probably taken by Jewish Christians who
fled so that James' remains would not be
desecrated by the Romans, speculates Ben
Witherington III of Asbury Theological
Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. The box itself
would have been too heavy to carry, he
said, especially if they were leaving in
haste.
••• Unfortunately,
all three names were very common in the
Jerusalem of that period. Researchers have
already discovered at least two ossuaries
that say "James, son of Joseph," McCray
said. "But to have all three names is
highly significant and extremely unusual,
and indicates the importance of the name
Jesus."
••• Records from
the period allowed Lemaire to estimate how
many men in Jerusalem carried each of the
three names. Using simple math, he was
then able to estimate that there were no
more than 20 men in the city of 80,000 who
were named James, who had a father named
Joseph and who had a brother named
Jesus.
••• The fact that
most people did not use ossuaries, and
most who did so did not name their
brothers on them, suggests that this
ossuary is "very unusual." There is only
one other known example in Aramaic of a
brother being named on an ossuary, he
said. Thus, this particular Jesus must
have been very notable.
••• If the
artifact is genuine, it could raise some
thorny theological issues. Protestant
doctrine says that James is a brother of
Jesus, while Orthodox churches say that he
is the son of Joseph by an earlier
marriage, and thus only a halfbrother to
Jesus.
••• Roman Catholic
doctrine, however, says that Mary was a
virgin all her life and that James is only
a cousin of Jesus, perhaps the son of
Joseph's brother Clopas. If the ossuary is
genuine, it would rule out that
interpretation, Witherington
said.
•••
According to the Jewish historian
Josephus, James was stoned to death as a
Jewish heretic in AD 62.
••• There are no
current plans to display the ossuary
publicly, but the Discovery Channel is
producing a documentary about it that is
expected to air for Easter.
///
•••
•
Q&A01c
- Discovery Consistent With
Bible
•••
October 26, 2002 -- According to the Times
Wire Service The editor of a conservative
Catholic magazine said the discovery of a
first-century stone box that could have
held the bones of Jesus' brother does not
disprove church teaching on the perpetual
virginity of Mary.
••• Researchers
this week unveiled an ossuary, or stone
box used to hold the bones of the dead,
with the inscription "James, son of
Joseph, brother of Jesus."
••• Experts from
the Biblical Archaeology Society believe
that the chances are strong that the
inscription refers to the Jesus of the
Gospels.
••• Catholics
teach that Jesus' mother, Mary, remained a
virgin after his birth. They also teach
that biblical figures like James, whom the
Bible refers to as a "brother" to Jesus,
were actually cousins.
••• But even so,
the discovery would not prove that Mary
had other children and would not
contradict the Catholic doctrine of the
perpetual virginity of Mary, said Deal
Hudson, editor of Crisis magazine,
••• Hudson said a
traditional teaching from Orthodox
Christianity could help explain the
mystery.
••• Orthodox
Christians believe that Jesus' father,
Joseph, had been previously married, and
that James was a product of that earlier
marriage.
••• That teaching
"might help to explain why
[Joseph] was willing to take on a
young, consecrated virgin as his bride,"
Hudson wrote.
••• "This would
also make sense in light of Joseph's age.
He apparently was much older than Mary and
died before Jesus began his public
ministry."
••• Hudson's views
were shared by the Rev. Joseph Fitzmyer, a
biblical expert at Catholic University,
who was excited by the find but said the
Bible itself is unclear about Jesus'
family relationships.
•••
October 25, 2002
-- A French
scholar has reported finding what he
believes to be the earliest archeological
evidence of the existence of Jesus, a
burial box from AD 63 that is inscribed:
"James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."
Although it appears to be an authentic
relic from the period, there is debate
about whether it refers to Jesus of
Nazareth or another family altogether.
There are numerous other examples of
discoveries that appear to support or
challenge basic teachings and stories
found in the various world religions, and
their authenticity often is never
resolved. From a religious perspective,
are such findings cause for discussion and
reevaluation of beliefs or are they
largely irrelevant in matters of
faith?
•••
Archeological discoveries are very useful
in evaluating past civilizations and how
they lived, but they are not intended to
be used as evidence about the life of a
particular individual. The findings show
only a narrow slice of the life that was
lived, and it is easy to come to erroneous
conclusions. Religious beliefs should be
based on what is true, rather than on what
is real, and focus on the message that is
presented, and not be shaken by
archeological evidence.
• Rabbi Leslie P. Bergson,
• ewish chaplain and Hillel
• director, Claremont Colleges
•••
Authentic findings from antiquity are
studied by scientists (archeologists), and
usually confirm the biblical accuracy on
historical, geographical and cultural
matters. This is called external evidence
for the authenticity and reliability of
the Scriptures. The most significant
external evidence that substantiates the
New Testament are the 4,969 manuscripts of
the New Testament that exist in libraries,
universities, museums, etc., around the
world. These manuscripts consist of copies
and pieces of copies of the original
manuscripts of the New Testament. This
abundant and accurate manuscript evidence
for the New Testament exceeds that of any
other book from the ancient world. This
new finding of a burial box from AD 63
serves as another external reminder that
the Bible is reliable and it is still the
indestructible, indescribable,
irrefutable, eternal, living and most
powerful book of books. If your belief
system is based on what the Bible actually
says, then findings like the burial box
are a cause for rejoicing. If, however,
your belief system is based on man-made
doctrines and traditions, findings like
the burial box do little and or mostly
nothing to change systems that blatantly
ignore the plain teachings of God's
word.
• Pastor Brian E. Kennedy,
• Mt. Zion Baptist Church,
• Ontario
•••
The discovery of the ossuary box is a very
fascinating development in the search for
the truth about those ancient days in the
Near East. From my own religious
perspective, however, it is not very
relevant because most people of my
Unitarian Universalist perspective see
Jesus as not a part of a Trinity, but as a
human being, not God. He was a man like
us, but a historical figure we know very
little about. I affirm any valid scholarly
research, but my religion is more of this
day, this time, seeing the divine within
all human beings. We emulate prophets and
heroes and unsung people who are doing
their best in our time to make this a more
compassionate world. It matters little to
me whether or not his mother was a virgin
or whether she gave birth to other
children. We do know this -- there were no
eyewitnesses to any of the happenings in
his life, nothing was written down until
decades after he died. I am well satisfied
to be inspired by Jesus' supposed
teachings -- so often radical and
upsetting of the establishment -- they
inform my hope and work for social justice
and peace. That is enough.
• The Rev. Ellen Livingston, Monte
Vista Unitarian
• Universalist Congregation, Montclair
•••
The core of Christian faith depends on the
witness of the disciples of Jesus. Central
events, such as the miracles and
resurrection of Christ, simply cannot be
historically verified. Neither the content
nor the quality of faith depends on
archeological evidence. Nevertheless, the
many finds, beginning in the 19th century,
are exciting because they shed light on
the environment of our ancestors in faith.
The Catholic doctrine of Mary's perpetual
virginity does not depend on whether James
and other "brothers of Jesus" were
actually cousins or children of Joseph by
a former marriage. Of course, if it could
be proven that the ossuary is truly that
of James the Apostle, it would settle that
question.
• The Rev. Thomas Welbers,
• Our Lady of the Assumption
• Catholic Church, Claremont
•••
Archeological findings may or may not be
accepted by religious teachings. The Koran
has already spoken about historical
nations as a lesson to the new generations
so that they know how to act, react and
obey God. Beliefs in Islam have already
been declared in specific and in general.
If there is any archeological finding of
scientists that agree with the Islamic
beliefs, it will be taken for granted. On
the other hand, if the findings contradict
the teachings of Islam, then Muslims will
reject the findings of the scientists and
rely heavily on their religious teachings.
Scientists could be right or wrong in
their research. To the Muslims, the Koran
is the fi