Now it’s time for another one of my articles. This one is called The Bible’s Hollywood Makeover:
I think exercise is really important for maintaining your weight as well as staying healthy and living longer. Does anybody disagree? Let’s see what the Bible says.
“For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” – 1Tim 4:8 KJV
So, the King James Version of the Bible clearly says that exercise is of little profit especially when compared to godliness. This is an accurate rendering of the original Greek. My word for word wooden translation of this passage would be:
“And for of body exercise towards little it is profitable…” Greek New Testament
Here the King James Version of the Bible is a fairly accurate wooden rendering of the Greek New Testament. Now over the last century or so the Bible has undergone what we could call a “Hollywood makeover.” Unicorns became oxen, satyrs (a half-man, half-horse) are now called wild goats, dragons were renamed hyenas and this statement about exercise being of little value has been tampered with as well:
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” – NLJV
Notice how the NKJV has retranslated the passage to say that exercise is now of “a little” value or profit. This is VERY important. The addition of the word “a” the indefinite article makes all the difference and makes it seem like the Bible now says exercise is of a little profit. For years Christians have complained that the Jehovah’s Witnesses incorrectly inserted the word “a” in the beginning of John’s Gospel in their Bible the New World Translation. So, it says that Jesus is “a god” instead of God. However, in Ancient Greek there is no indefinite article and we have to insert it where it goes when we translate Greek to English. The JW’s do this correctly; they have the right translation. But when the “a” is added to this NKJV passage of 1Timothy about exercise it doesn’t belong there. It’s part of the Bible’s “Hollywood
makeover” which is being done to modernize the Bible and make it seem less absurd. Let’s see how the NIV translates this passage:
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” – NIV
Now exercise according to the Bible is not just of “a little” profit but it is of “some value.” Look at this very carefully. Still don’t believe in evolution? The Bible is evolving right before your very eyes! God’s unchanging word is changing! It’s no wonder there are so many people who insist on sticking with the King James Version of the Bible. Look at how the New Living Translation translates this passage:
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. – NLT
Now physical training is “good” according to the Bible! We’ve gone from of “little” profit to “a little profit” to “some value” to “good” in only about only forty years of this “Hollywood makeover” of the Bible. We all know physical exercise is good for us. Apparently, whoever wrote 1Timothy was a bit unaware of the value of exercise. This might make it seem as though the Bible isn’t so divinely inspired especially when we read about other things like cockatrices, fiery serpents, satyrs, dragons, witches, etc. The passages of “scripture” that mention these things have been dishonestly removed, rewritten or edited beyond recognition from their original translation in the King James. So, what do you think modern translations of the Bible will look like in the near future as translators try to get the Bible more in line with modern science? I can just see it now: “In the beginning, God set Darwinian Evolution in motion… and saw that it was good.” – New Universal Bible, 2030.
Not only do Christians purposely reinterpret the false teachings in the Bible, they are actually writing them right out of the text! And then they have the nerve to claim they have the truth.