[sword-devel] New filter for red letter words

[Jerry Hastings]

At 08:09 PM 1/15/2003 -0800, Daniel Russell wrote:


>>...If a module is suppose to contain the text of a work of a certain 
>>author. but options and filters in the software produce a derivative text 
>>of it, users may quote that derivative text as the words of that author....
>>
>>Jerry
>
>I thought that was the point of filters (?). Are not filters something 
>that the *user* turns on. Obviously the default presentation after 
>installation *must* be the raw unaltered module's text. ...

Does SWORD have filters that change the meaning of a text? I have not used 
all the modules so maybe there are some. If there is it should be carefully 
reconsidered. Remember this is not just about "red letter filters." It is 
about philosophies. Turning on and off red letters may just be 
"presentation," (changing color only), but in theory it could be changing 
from "saying" these are the words of Jesus," (red), to "maybe these are the 
words of Jesus," (black). That is very subtle, but we can imagine filters 
for doctrinally loaded words. Should the user be allowed to toggle words 
like, "LORD", "bishop", and "baptize" to the translation of his choosing? I 
don't think so, and I think it would be a good idea to have a philosophy 
against that kind of thing. It would be better to give the user different 
modules that lean different ways than force the work of an author to lean 
more ways than the author intended. In BibleCS you can click on another 
module faster than you can toggle a filter.

As to red letter KJV, I don't care. You can buy a KJV either way, and most 
people know that the red is an editorialization. Filters that may get 
people confused, don't do it.

Jerry