Do people here read books?

Question

I am sorry if this question seems a little rude or pompous, but the other day I was having an Yahoo messenger chat with a person who otherwise seemed intelligent, but who had somehow gotten a belief that the King James Bible was a translation from Latin into English rather than from Hebrew and Greek into English.

Where do people get ideas like that?

It's the Douay-Rheims bible which was a 17th century translation from the Latin.

This guy was also surprised to learn that the Textus Receptus is a Greek text despite having a Latin title.

I don't mean to embarass this one guy, because I have seen a lot of strange things said about the KJV by others. And it isn't that I am one of those KJV-only fundies. But I just wonder where so many people get so many crazy ideas from. In this particular guys case, I assume someone at his Church must have told him the KJV was a translation from Latin.

goodday: "Do people here read books?"

EvilFairies: You seem to be taking the question strangely personally.

ignaciobeltran: I don't recall claiming to be smart.

It's a bit like going onto forum devoted to sports and asserting, "I happen to know that it 4 touchdowns to win a baseball game." Why claim to know something if you don't?

bettierage: Of course not everyone has to know everything, but why pretend to know something when you don't know it? It's not like trying to BS me puts any money in his pocket.

DC Bob: No, this is not a diatribe of my beliefs. It is a matter of fact. Don't believe me?

1) Check out what Wikipedia says about the King James Version.

2) Check out what Wikipedia says about the Textus Receptus.

3) If you don't trust Wikipedia, go to the library and do your own research.

metdevthegamer: I am sorry to hear that you think I am splitting hairs because a guy who contacts me out of the blue to tell me the KJV is a crummy translation because it is from Latin when it isn't.

eyeswideopen: I didn't find this guy. He found me.

This is the whole point. I didn't waylay this guy and spring some obscure facts on him. He was trying to BS me.

Answer 1

I read a lot too, and consider myself an informed person who can engage in polite conversation about many different subjects, but like anyone else I prefer some subjects above others. I'm convinced that messenger is an excellent vehicle to share opinions with others. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and people can disagree politely without rubbing each other the wrong way.

Some people have some information, others have it in a different way. Everyone now has at least heard that the Bible has suffered changes due to translation, prejudice, errors in interpretation and the like, so it is not as was originally written. Others still swear it was written by God himself and that man had nothing to do with it.

I find that sharing with others is so much more interesting because you learn and they learn, better yet if the source material is mentioned so you can check it out.

Not everyone knows what you know about the Bible, congrats, but you could disagree politely by using common phrases like: Is that so? "I thought the KJB was a transliteration not from Latin into English but from Hebrew and Greek into English. The one that sounds like what you mention is the Douay-Rheims bible, a 17th century translation from the Latin." Provide your information source as well.

You can set the facts straight without embarassing anyone, after all, it's about sharing ideas and opinions...right?


Hope it helps

Answer 2

No- many people are just very opinionated. In some Independent Baptist churches (no offense intended) and some Pentecostal churches they believe in what is known as the "double-inspiration" of the King James. That the KJV has become the only word of God, and everything else is wrong-even the text that the KJV was translated from. They do read, but its is only books from known heretics like Sam Gipp and Peter Drucker. There books are poison to the mind.

Answer 3

Yes! I read books, including several translations of the Bible.
King James is one of my least favorite, but I own one. I like New
American Standard very much, but I use New International Version the most. The average layman might not know as much as you do about the translation from the original Hebrew and Greek into English. It is good you can help to inform people!
Continue helping to educate others!

Answer 4

If they are spending too much time on Messenger or Yahoo Answers, they do not have enough time left to read :-)
Although you politely said that you don't mean anything rude, and made clear that reading is a pretty good way of knowing deeper the subject you are talking about, many people seam offended by your question...
I read a lot, but not as nearly as much as I would like, and there are many topics that I'm not very versed at. But I am not ashamed of that, and very much enjoy meeting and talking to people who know more than I do.

Answer 5

Some people here read books, probably most. Some people here are sincere, probably most. Some people are just out for points and to stir the pot. It's the Internet, after all :) I for one read books, and I own several bibles including a KJV (which is also my least favorite), but I don't know that I would have known what the original language was.

Answer 6

a number of those are from lady perspectives, some could be a sprint "girly lady" on your liking yet others must be ok. i've got left the two variety on and you're able to be able to be certain. Meryll of the Stone (Brian Caswell) Picnic at putting Rock (Joan Lindsay) Stranger with my face (Lois Duncan) playing Beattie Bow (Ruth Parks) My Sister Sif (Ruth Parks) Hitch hikers instruction manual to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) Holes (Louis Sachar) Lord of the jewellery / The Hobbit Eragorn trilogy Narnia The Golden Compass Interview with a Vampire (Anne Rice) Requiem for a Princess (Ruth M Arthur) searching for Alibrandi (Melina Marchetta) Angels Gate (Gary team) Sisterhood of the travelling Pants Pelican's Creek (Maureen Pople) The Diary of Anne Frank To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) The Shiralee (Dárcy Niland) Into the Wild (John Krakauer) Chocolat (Joanne Harris) Harp interior the South; unfavourable guy's Orange; Missus (Trilogy via Ruth Parks) the place the middle is (Billie Letts) My place (Sally Morgan) Little women (Louisa could Alcott) Rebecca (Daphne De Maurier) the three Muskateers (Alexandre Dumas) something via the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen despite you do don’t run The December Boys (Robert Noonan)

Answer 7

There is a lot of information out there and it is not always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Also, if one does not spend a lot of time studying something like the Bible, it is easy to get translations confused. Be very sure of your own facts before making corrections and be very gentle in making the correction. Try to encourage people to never stop learning, that is the real key to not forgetting or confusing what we have learned before. Remember, we all have erasers on the end of our pencils and the eraser end always wears out first.

Answer 8

lots of us read books, but not all the same ones. that is an interesting fact you have there. i didn't know that myself! i suppose people do assume that the bible was in latin at some point before english considering that the monks used to use it. i would have thought myself that with the title "King James" that it would have passed through the hands of the monks maybe in england myself, so i suppose it's an honest mistake. also, catholic masses where for centuries said in latin.
i personally don't find it embarassing to not know something. we're all here to learn.

Answer 9

Right now I am reading a book over 2 inches thick. Your comments about the bible are true. Some people even think the bible dropped down from heaven. ICK!

Answer 10

there is nothing worse than an ignorant Christian. they do more harm than good.
a lot of Christians are really bad for that, believing whatever their church leaders say and not ever seeing a need to research something on their own. or they go to a Bible college, and accept that teaching, and that school pumps out a hundred robots with all the same ideas.