No, Google and Disney didn’t buy the rights to the Bible
A shocking claim is making its way through the far-right internet:
Disney and Google are rewriting the word of God after purchasing the rights to the Bible!
Will the world now be flooded with a “woke” version of the Bible? No, because the claim is utter nonsense.
The issue first arose on platforms like TikTok, where accounts claimed that the two mega-corporations were conspiring against conservative Christians. And given the left-wing culture at both of the companies, users argued, surely something sinister was afoot.
In just one example, a video on TikTok that has been seen more than 1.1 million times claims that Disney purchased the rights to multiple versions of the religious text for more than $7 billion. The video even claims that Disney has already been “deleting” verses, including one about casting out demons.
“If they take it away, you need to know what it says. If they change it, you need to know what it says,” TikTok user Claretas Voice said in the clip. “Jesus is soon to return and you need to be ready.”
Other users are begging their followers to immediately buy a physical copy of the Bible in order to keep Disney from erasing the original text. For the record, the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 estimated there have likely been anywhere from 5 to 7 billion copies of the Bible printed since the book was standardized.
Conspiracy theorists think Disney and Google bought the Bible
In another video on the topic posted to Instagram, two far-right podcast hosts also claimed that Google was in on the deal as well. Users in the comments expressed outrage at the apparent revelation.
“This is so effed up,” one user wrote. “Evil.”
“That’s why I’m keeping all my old VHS movies and my VHS player,” another added. “So my grandchildren can grow up seeing the truth.”
But there are just a few problems with the theory.
For starters, numerous versions of the Bible are in the public domain and cannot be purchased. While some companies do hold the rights to other versions, Disney has made no attempt whatsoever to own the rights to any Bible. Another issue is that not a single video discussing the issue has cited any proof.
A simple search does not show any recent news articles mentioning Disney and an attempted purchase of the rights to the Bible. However, The Babylon Bee, a conservative satire outlet, wrote a joke article in 2018 titled, “Disney Buys Rights To The Bible, Plans 37 Sequels.”
Ironically, conservatives have repeatedly mocked fact-checkers for debunking articles from The Babylon Bee. Conservatives appear to believe that such fact-checks are foolish, given that The Babylon Bee is clearly satirical. Yet, as we see here, conspiracy theorists continue to fall for such false claims regardless, sometimes even years after they were published.
Why it matters
The fact that right-wing conspiracy theorists are falling for The Babylon Bee, a satirical outlet whose sole purpose is to mock liberals, shows just how susceptible some people are to misinformation.
It also highlights the continued importance of fact-checking, given that even jokes can lead to false claims reaching millions of people online.
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