{"id":196,"date":"2011-03-30T17:34:23","date_gmt":"2011-03-30T21:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars\/?p=196"},"modified":"2011-03-30T17:39:06","modified_gmt":"2011-03-30T21:39:06","slug":"peta-wants-an-animal-friendly-translation-of-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars\/2011\/03\/peta-wants-an-animal-friendly-translation-of-the-bible.html","title":{"rendered":"PETA wants an animal-friendly translation of the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

After hearing\u00a0that\u00a0the newest rewrite of the New International Version of the Bible uses gender-inclusive language such as “he or she” instead of “he,” the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have written to the committee that edited the NIV, asking for the next revision to consider the feelings of animals.<\/p>\n

Specifically, says PETA, it’s time to refer to animals as “he” or “she” instead of “it.” They are individuals, not objects, said the organization.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
PETA wants donkeys indentified as "he" or "she," not "it."<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using such pronouns accurately would be difficult, says a Hebrew scholar. It’s one thing to translate the Bible with care for fidelity to the original manuscripts. It’s quite another thing to start rewriting\u00a0the Scriptures\u00a0to reflect modern-day political agendas.<\/p>\n

PETA\u00a0also says the next translation\u00a0must remove “speciesist” language, which would mean words that are biased toward one species over another.<\/p>\n

“Updating the Bible’s language regarding animals would not only reflect modern writing trends but also reinforce the idea that animals are living beings valued by God, not inanimate objects,” says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. “Jesus taught us the importance of mercy and compassion, and this update would encourage mercy and compassion for all God’s creatures — including those who have feathers, fins, and fur.”<\/p>\n

David Berger, the dean of Yeshiva University\u2019s Bernard Revel graduate school of Jewish studies,\u00a0told CNN\u00a0News that\u00a0making\u00a0such a\u00a0shift would be awkward given the nature of ancient Hebrew.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Hebrew all nouns are gender-specific. So the noun for chair is masculine and the noun for earth is feminine. There\u2019s simply no such thing as a neutral noun,” Berger said. \u201cIt\u2019s unusual to have a noun that would indicate the sex of the animal. In Proverbs it says, ‘Look at the ant, O lazy person. See its ways. In Hebrew it\u2019s ‘see her ways.’ That’s because the word for ant in Hebrew happens to be female. It\u2019s not intended to exclude male ants as far as I know. It\u2019s just an accident the Hebrew word happens to be feminine.\u201d<\/p>\n

NIV officials had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After hearing\u00a0that\u00a0the newest rewrite of the New International Version of the Bible uses gender-inclusive language such as “he or she” instead of “he,” the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have written to the committee that edited the NIV, asking for the next revision to consider the feelings of animals. 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