These people are nuts

The people at Conservapedia are launching a Conservative Bible Project. The purpose is to remove liberal bias in modern translations.

Let's be clear here. They are talking political liberal bias. Okay they mix in some, well maybe one, legitimate issue, the unisexing of the TNIV. But they are more concerned about lessons from the bible that aren't aligned with editorial positions of the Wall Street Journal or the National Review.

As of 2009, their announcement warns, there is no fully conservative translation of the Bible. Wrap your exegetical arms around that.

They don't like the ESV which is, in my opinion, the best English translation in existence. They complain:

For example, the conservative word "volunteer" is mentioned only once in the ESV, yet the socialistic word "comrade" is used three times, "laborer(s)" is used 13 times, "labored" 15 times, and "fellow" (as in "fellow worker") is used 55 times.

Here are the uses of comrade in the ESV:

¹³When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat." ¹⁴ And his comrade answered, "This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp."

²²When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. (Judges 7:13-14,22)

I feel Marxist already.

Did the Conservapedians even realize that it's not about Gideon's army that the awful socialistic term comrade is being applied? It's applied to the bad guys, the Midianites. One would think they'd approve.

What do you suppose they'll make of this:

³²Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

One can only imagine.

HT, it pains me to say, to Pharyngula.