c. 1997 Religion News Service

(Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.)

UNDATED _ One of my favorite films, Robert Altman’s”Nashville,”was recently shown on VH-1, a cable TV outlet. While I’ve grown accustomed to the many commercials that constantly interrupt such showings, I was absolutely appalled that the film’s famous climactic scene _ the violent assassination of a super-star country singer at a political rally _ was completely omitted from the cablecast.

In place of Altman’s unflinching look at the sometimes violent connection between politics and the entertainment industry, the TV viewer was left with a saccharine, incomplete film that must have mystified viewers who had never seen the”real”movie.

Instead of a bloody denouement that is followed by healing gospel music, the TV version of”Nashville”ended with only tender sweetness, an abuse of Altman’s artistic message.

The sterilization of”Nashville”set me thinking about what mindless editors might do with the Bible. I shudder to think how they would handle some of the difficult, violent themes found in Scripture.

But, hey, if TV film editors can use sharp scissors to utterly distort the meaning of modern films like”Nashville,”just imagine what those same folks could do if they wielded their cutting shears on some well-known Bible stories.

For starters, two troubling stories from Genesis would be radically edited beyond recognition.

Instead of a jealous Cain killing his brother Abel, the”biblical sanitation squad”would totally omit the murder scene. In its place, readers would only observe a deep love between the two brothers. Left to the bowdlerizers, the Cain and Abel story would become an early version of the”Hardy Boys.” The always present human emotions of guilt, responsibility, and sibling rivalry would disappear from the scriptural account. Such emotions would be considered too negative for mass audiences.

The story of Abraham’s nearly successful attempt to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a test of faith would be completely altered. Instead of a tension-filled, deeply troubling scenario, the scissors brigade would offer us a sunny view of”Life with Father (Abraham).” Indeed, in a tidied-up version of the Bible, Abraham and Isaac would have three days of quality time traveling together from their home to Mt. Moriah. What a lucky Isaac. His dad was able to take time out from a busy schedule to go backpacking with him. The entire episode would be portrayed as a long overdue opportunity for father and son to bond.

And in another example of what editors could do with Genesis, Joseph’s brothers would not sell him into slavery in a futile effort to get the precocious brat out of their lives.

Rather, the brothers would chip in some money to provide Joseph, their brilliant sibling, with a full scholarship to study dream interpretation in Egypt _ the biblical equivalent of getting a graduate degree in psychology. What a lovely example of altruistic brotherly love.

Since the”we know what’s best for the public”TV editors completely annihilated the original meaning of”Nashville,”just think how they would mutilate the epic Passover story.

Forget about Moses beseeching the hard-hearted Pharaoh to let the ancient Hebrew slaves leave Egypt. There would be no references to the difficult diplomatic negotiations between the two leaders.

And you can be certain that all references to the lethal ten plagues would be eliminated from the Biblical account. The afflictions from God would be deemed too harsh and vindictive for family tastes.

Instead, the cleaned-up version of Passover would have Moses and Pharaoh closely cooperating on the entire Exodus. Indeed, the Egyptian monarch would provide wagons, chariots, horses, and provisions to help the Hebrew slaves depart in comfort. And, most importantly, all references to matzah, the hardtack unleavened bread of affliction the Hebrews baked during the Exodus, would be eliminated. Let ’em eat cake instead.

Of course, in this sanitized version the Egyptian army would establish joint patrols with the exiting slaves: friendly escorts for Moses and his people. And best of all, the Royal Egyptian Corps of Engineers would construct pontoon bridges across the dangerous Red Sea to expedite the Hebrew slaves’journey to the Promised Land.

Fortunately, true artists clearly understand that life is a delicate balance of pain and deliverance, of hatred and reconciliation. And these eternal themes, whether articulated in the Bible or in films, will always have receptive audiences despite the foolish efforts of inane editors.

MJP END RUDIN