Bible ‘branding’ begs biblical backlash 15.3.17
“Atheists are likely to benefit more than the Bible Society, in its attempted ‘re-branding’ — using biblical verses on 10,000 cans of Coopers beer,” according to former publicist and director of Plain Reason, Brian Morris.
“Think about it: Australia is already majority religion-neutral and beer-drinkers are right up there on the sceptics ‘scale of ‘doubt’ on matters of God-belief — and these Jesus quotes will gain little more than further ridicule.
“Contemporary biblical scholars agree that the Gospels are riddled with pious fraud, endless contradictions, reams of re-edited quotations, truisms, and events that pre-date the alleged life of Jesus of Nazareth.”
Twenty verses have been provided by the Bible Society to Coopers, whose Christian owners are long-standing contributors to the Bible Society. One verse reads:
John 3:21 “Who ever lives by the truth comes into the light“
“It is bizarre that schoolchildren are still taught that the bible is ‘the truth’ — an idea still believed by Education Departments to be more important than Critical Thinking, scientific knowledge, and secular ethics classes.
“Christians represent just 30% of the world’s religions, yet they claim their ‘truth‘ trumps the 70% of others who have a quite different God-belief — it is this religious divisiveness that creates so much conflict.
“Beer-drinkers are far more sceptical, and Coopers have already suffered a social media backlash with many pubs and bars cancelling their beer orders — and not helped by the political “Keeping it Light” video on gay marriage.
“One wonders what Bible Society CEO, Greg Clarke, was thinking — and whether it was he or the Coopers brewery owners who floated this biblical misadventure.
“Secular organisations are greatly amused by this imprudent attempt to bring beer-drinkers to God — and it is highly unlikely that Coopers or the Bible Society will tell “the truth” about the real wash-up of this campaign.”
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