20. The Year the Word Homosexual Was Added to the Bible

[00:00:00] 1946 is the first time in any language and any translation of the word homosexual ends up in the Bible.

[00:00:30] Translation that shifted culture is a feature documentary that tells how the word homosexual was added to the Bible for the first time in 1946.

[00:00:46] 19 centuries after Paul wrote his letter to the Church in Corinth, a group of American translators decided that the word homosexual should be used for the first time anywhere in the Bible.

[00:01:05] The rest of the world soon followed.

[00:01:09] While Bible translators have known of this sleight of hand for decades, it is rarely discussed in churches or Bible studies.

[00:01:19] We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these filmmakers for uncovering many new details behind this pernicious change and then documenting them in such a brilliant man.

[00:01:39] Steve Copeland of Unseen Films says, possibly the most important film of the decade.

[00:01:57] One of the most engaging and informative documentaries I've ever seen. It has the potential to be one of the most influential films of the century.

[00:02:06] Wow! It has the potential to be one of the most influential films of the century.

[00:02:18] Here are some snippets from the trailers on the film's website.

[00:02:24] 1946 is the first time in any language and any translation of the word homosexual ends up in the Bible.

[00:02:32] I found that incredibly hard to believe.

[00:02:35] Who made this decision? Why did they make this decision? How did they make this decision?

[00:02:44] Hi, I'm Mary Lambert. I'm part of the LGBTQ community and I'm also part of the Christian community.

[00:02:50] We made so much progress in this country but we're still fighting for love, inclusion, inequality in our homes and our churches.

[00:02:57] In many Christian churches we're still being told that being gay is a sin and that we're unworthy of God's love.

[00:03:03] So it couldn't be more passionate about this life changing project that's seeking to set the record straight.

[00:03:09] The first time the word homosexual entered the Bible was 1946 when the RSV translation team erroneously combined two independent words.

[00:03:19] And it resulted in a historical and current condemnation of a group of people.

[00:03:23] Two consenting adults that love each other is not a sin but many Christians still believe that.

[00:03:29] I went into this research wanting to answer no matter what it revealed.

[00:03:33] If God said you are such a affordable abomination that I needed to rid this planet of myself, I was willing to do that.

[00:03:40] But when I dug in, that's not what I found.

[00:03:43] We didn't know what we were going to find when we dug into the RSV notes.

[00:03:47] Why did they put the word homosexual into the Bible?

[00:03:52] A 21 year old seminary student wrote a prophetic letter to the translation team.

[00:04:02] As I write this after many months of serious thought and hard work to point out that which to me is a serious weakness in translation.

[00:04:09] Misinformed and misguided people may use the RSV translation of 1 Corinthians 6, 9 and 10 as a sacred weapon.

[00:04:17] He wrote the letter as David S.

[00:04:20] He is still alive and went on the record for the movie.

[00:04:27] Please help us finish this movie so we can spread the truth and create this powerful tool for love and justice.

[00:04:33] It will save lives.

[00:04:35] I also believe, like Mary Lambert, that this movie will save lives.

[00:04:42] Matthew Huff of Buzzfeed, who I quoted earlier as saying...

[00:04:47] It has the potential to be one of the most influential films of the century.

[00:04:52] Also called the movie...

[00:04:55] A national treasure-esque historical mystery and a horrifying political thriller.

[00:05:00] A national treasure-esque historical mystery and a horrifying political thriller, which really makes me want to see the movie.

[00:05:11] Unfortunately, at this time, 1946 is not available for viewing outside of the film festival circuit.

[00:05:19] But there are a lot of film festivals in the US and abroad.

[00:05:24] You can check their website, which is 1946themovie.com.

[00:05:31] No spaces between the words, 1946themovie.com.

[00:05:37] How do you find out when the movie will be more broadly available?

[00:05:41] Well, you can sign up for their newsletter on their website,

[00:05:45] which also says they are not a funded film.

[00:05:49] So each donation that you make through women, make movies,

[00:05:54] through their merchandise store or through their GoFundMe campaign

[00:06:00] adds money to their coffers to keep the work moving forward.

[00:06:04] I will put all these links to get on their newsletter

[00:06:09] to go fund me campaign and so forth in the podcast notes.

[00:06:14] And their social media handle is at 1946themovie.

[00:06:20] You can find them on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

[00:06:25] I'm not naive enough to think that this will cause conservative churches

[00:06:34] and Bible studies to change their teaching.

[00:06:38] They will probably just double down on the Levitical clover verses.

[00:06:45] So arm yourself, be prepared.

[00:06:48] You might want to listen or relisten to episode four, men lying with men,

[00:06:54] and episode five, what's with all the rules in Leviticus?

[00:06:59] I predict these verses will continue to be used incorrectly

[00:07:04] to condemn the queer community.

[00:07:07] You should know the truth, the hypocrisy surrounding these verses as well.

[00:07:14] Please help us finish this movie so we can spread the truth

[00:07:17] and create this powerful tool for love and justice.

[00:07:20] It will save lives.

[00:07:23] If you are somewhere in the rainbow,

[00:07:29] remember that God created you exactly as you are queer for a reason

[00:07:36] because God wanted someone with exactly your talents,

[00:07:41] with exactly your eyes and exactly your sense of humor.

[00:07:46] Queerness is not an accident.

[00:07:49] It's not a mistake.

[00:07:51] It's not a sin.

[00:07:53] It is one of God's most amazing creations and it should be celebrated.

[00:07:59] Remember, the Bible tells us that God knit you together

[00:08:04] in your mother's womb exactly as you are.

[00:08:08] Until next time, you stay safe.

[00:08:12] This is Elton Sherwin.

[00:08:21] The Bible is a sign of the world.

[00:08:24] The Bible is a sign of the world.

[00:08:27] The Bible is a sign of the world.