Sunday, January 29, 2012

Is the Jewish Bible Orange or Green?

I understand some in the Arizona legislature plan to authorize teaching the Bible in Arizona public schools. Bravo! The Bible is not only a revered book, but also a great contribution to human literature. Small problem, though,  whose version of the Bible will be authorized for use in Arizona schools? The Protestant King James version, or the Catholic version? My ancestors were still telling stories about the great Bible fight when I was a boy. When Catholics objected to using the King James version in the public schools, there was rioting in Philadelphia, blood in the streets, Catholic churches were burned. In New York, Archbishop "Dagger John" Hughes threatened the authorities: "If a single Catholic church is burned here, we will turn all of New York into a second Moscow (as in the Russians burning their own capital to spite Napoleon)." So let's repeat history and raise high the Orange and Green banners that so recently flew in Northern Ireland. By the way the Bible is also revered by Muslims and Jews. I wonder if their versions are Orange or Green?