Political Crossfire Forums

[F'losrix]

See the poll. Are you troubled at all by inconsistencies between the various translations of the Bible?

Or do you think most of it's good but there may possibly be a few verses or words that have been mistranslated?

How common do you think it is that people misunderstand the Bible?

Would you agree that some people use it as if it were a weapon, to separate 'pretenders' from 'true' Christians?

Do you base the entirety of your faith on the Bible, or do you view it more as a starting point?

How important do you think it is to view the writings in context, vs. pulling out a verse here and there to make some point?

Do you think it's at all possible that instead of capturing God's Word & Will, there may be portions that instead are a snapshot of the prejudices of the culture of man at the time of the writing?

Do you think it's possible that some authors wrote down their own opinions and claimed it was the inspired Word of God?

[Gilbert1908]

Skeptical Mystic wrote: See the poll. Are you troubled at all by inconsistencies between the various translations of the Bible?
Not at all since their differences do not have an impact on the central aspects of Christianity.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: Or do you think most of it's good but there may possibly be a few verses or words that have been mistranslated?
Again any differences are not thought by Christians to pose any significant conflict to the central pillars of the Faith.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: How common do you think it is that people misunderstand the Bible?

We are only human, of course this happens daily.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: Would you agree that some people use it as if it were a weapon, to separate 'pretenders' from 'true' Christians?
YES and it makes them easy to recognize as acting in a rather unChristian like manner.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: Do you base the entirety of your faith on the Bible, or do you view it more as a starting point? As a Catholic and it is easy to speak for the Catholic Faith on this, the Bible is a central point of faith but NOT taken literally nor the only source of understanding.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: How important do you think it is to view the writings in context, vs. pulling out a verse here and there to make some point? If you are making a debating point its fine, if you are deciding whether to believe in Jesus Christ, not a good idea.


Skeptical Mystic wrote: Do you think it's at all possible that instead of capturing God's Word & Will, there may be portions that instead are a snapshot of the prejudices of the culture of man at the time of the writing? None of the many authors of the Bible were perfect so unless you believe as some do that every word of the bible is God's word then your conclusion here is reasonable.

Skeptical Mystic wrote: Do you think it's possible that some authors wrote down their own opinions and claimed it was the inspired Word of God? This I don't believe is the case, I do believe that every word of the bible was believed by those who wrote it to be inspired by God and not simply a personal agenda.


Great questions I hope I contributed a little in response.

[F'losrix]

Gilbert1908 wrote: Great questions I hope I contributed a little in response.
Yes - and thanks for taking this in the spirit it was intended!

[connermt]

Skeptical Mystic wrote: See the poll. Are you troubled at all by inconsistencies between the various translations of the Bible?

Or do you think most of it's good but there may possibly be a few verses or words that have been mistranslated?

How common do you think it is that people misunderstand the Bible?

Would you agree that some people use it as if it were a weapon, to separate 'pretenders' from 'true' Christians?

Do you base the entirety of your faith on the Bible, or do you view it more as a starting point?

How important do you think it is to view the writings in context, vs. pulling out a verse here and there to make some point?

Do you think it's at all possible that instead of capturing God's Word & Will, there may be portions that instead are a snapshot of the prejudices of the culture of man at the time of the writing?

Do you think it's possible that some authors wrote down their own opinions and claimed it was the inspired Word of God?


Or do you think most of it's good but there may possibly be a few verses or words that have been mistranslated? <-- I think most of the Bible is a good tool to use as a guide, not a history book. As far as translations go, of course there have been things added, deleted, mis-understood etc. It is human nature to make mistakes. Even the most devout person can't understand or comprehend God 100% correclty.

How common do you think it is that people misunderstand the Bible? <--
Constantly. Misunderstandings happen frequently. Not all of them, however, may be harmful. EXAMPL: The parable of the Mustard seed, In my church, it was basically explained that mustard is a small seed with great flavor, such is the kingdom of God. Actually, mustard, in Jesus' time, was considered a weed. If it grew in your garden, it was almost impossible to get rid of. Therefore, one could say the kingdom of God is like a weed; Once it takes hold, it is almost impossible to get rid of.

Do you base the entirety of your faith on the Bible, or do you view it more as a starting point? <-- Definatley a starting point

How important do you think it is to view the writings in context, vs. pulling out a verse here and there to make some point? <-- Even in context, different people going through different things in life can read many different meanings in a story or text. That is one thing that makes the Bible great - it is personable (not personalizable)!

Do you think it's at all possible that instead of capturing God's Word & Will, there may be portions that instead are a snapshot of the prejudices of the culture of man at the time of the writing? <-- Of course. The woman's role in the early church was one of these prejudices.

Do you think it's possible that some authors wrote down their own opinions and claimed it was the inspired Word of God?<-- Anything is possible, I would 'like to believe' though, no one just wrote a book for kicks, but because they believed they were inspired. That way, at least there was a positive reason to begin the book, not just for personal gain

Are you troubled at all by inconsistencies between the various translations of the Bible? <-- Of course. Not to be, IMO, is almost not to care. It is like taking one verse to prove a point. If the Bible, as a whole, is the Word of God, Christians need to be concerned about it as a whole, not just in parts. To only be concerned about parts of it would be hypocritical.