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Misquoting Jesus

For centuries, ancient scribes copied and re-copied the story of Jesus, cobbling together what we now know as the New Testament. But according to religious scholar Bart Ehrman, these Christian copiers wouldn't pass muster with spell-check, much less an editorial board.

Indeed, the scribes made thousands of changes-everything from spelling errors and page deletions to intentional re-interpretations of the text.  "Whatever theology they happened to hold affected how they copied their books," says Ehrman, whose three decades of startling research convinced him to become an agnostic.

Join us as we discuss Ehrman's provocative book, "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why."

Guest: Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, Chair of the Dept. of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Hindu Surgeons and Buddhist Co-Workers: The Changing Face of Religious America

Starts at 22:49

America's religious landscape isn't what it used to be.  Ever since immigration laws relaxed in the 1960s, religious groups like Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Zoroastrians have descended here from all over the world.

Into this spiritual mixture walks Harvard religious scholar Diana Eck. Eck traveled all over America to find out what really happens when so many religions overlap-discovering everything from Muslims worshiping in a U-Haul dealership in Rhode Island to a warehouse in Queens used as a Hindu temple.

Eck shared many of her stories in her 2006 address to the American Academy of Religion.  "The North American Christian or Jew has a Hindu surgeon, a Buddhist co-worker, a Sikh roommate, a Muslim congressman," says Eck. "These are facts on the ground that require re-thinking of the religious ‘other."  We bring you the very best excerpts of Eck's momentous address, delivered as she left her post as president of the American Academy of Religion. 

Featuring:  Dr. Diana Eck, Director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University

From the Pulpit to the Pew

Starts at 34:26

Barbara Brown Taylor was once a powerhouse priest in the Episcopal Church, named by Baylor University as one of most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.  So it was quite a surprise when Taylor, after 15 years as a full-time minister, decided to take off her clerical collar and join the world of laypeople.

"My quest to serve God in the Church had exhausted my spiritual savings," writes Taylor, in her recent book, "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith."  Taylor is now a religion professor at Piedmont College in Clarkesville, Ga. Join us as she recounts her unusual journey from the congregation to the classroom.

Guest: Barbara Brown Taylor, Professor of Religion at Piedmont College

The Anti-Semitic Hoax That Won't Go Away

Starts at 43:19
 
Here is the scene suggested by the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," the apocryphal text purporting to reveal a Jewish plot to rule the world: In a secret underground location, perhaps lit by candlelight, Jewish men congregate around a large table, discussing their plan--to destroy all other religions, control the media, and manipulate the economy.

Though the 104-year-old book has been proven a fake, it is still being published--and taken as fact--in many parts of the world.  Among them is the Middle East, where anti-Israel sentiment is high.  This story was produced by the former producer of Interfaith Voices, John Parman.

Guest: Dr. Daniel Greene, Curator and Historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum