A question for my Christian friends?

Question

How can you trust any of Christianity's scholars when they cant even agree on a standard interpretation of the Bible?

i.e. their disagreements have lead to the different denominations to the extent that they call each other different religions, when they were all the same religion once upon a time.

am not talking about God, am talking about what religious people teach in religion classes as a part of their understanding.

as it is, interpretations and translations are two different things. But I would like to know why its so hard to find unity in the interpretation of Gods word.

Answer 1

WE all believe in the same God, and his laws.

It should not be so hard to get along.

Answer 2

The best thing we can do today is study the bible for ourselves. Let the Holy Spirit guide us on what is the truth and what is not the truth. As I listen to my Pastor at church I follow the scriptures along as he reads them. There maybe times when I disagree with him but our basic core beliefs are the same or I wouldn't go to that church. Every Christian should be reading their Bibles almost everyday. If we are studying Gods word then we know when the Preacher gets off track. I personally today read very little commentary on any scripture. As I read the word of God the Holy Spirit reveals to me things that I need to understand to fulfill Gods will for my life. And just for the record I read the Old Authorized King James Version and nothing else, I tried the others and found them lacking, especially since verses were missing from different translations. I found out that all other translations are from different manuscripts and most are paraphrased. WoW, talk about changing the Word of God, scary stuff.

Answer 3

The postulated once-upon-a-time unity is due to lack of information and the barbarous victory through suppression practiced by the Catholic church. There was never unity, just effective suppression of differences.

Remember the Gnostics? They were wiped out. The Knights Templar were pretty well exterminated.
Many of the books and groups mentioned in the Condemnation of 1277 written by the Bishop Of Paris are only known because they are mentioned in that condemnation. The extermination was that effective. The Thirty Years War killed a third of the population of Europe. By that time the combination of printing technology and the availability of emigration kept the diversity alive.

Answer 4

I think the best answer to that one is you can't trust anyone to be 100% right all the time. As all these groups call themselves 'christ'ian it makes sense to go back to what Jesus himself said and those he taught and ordained as apostles. In that case I would have to assume that 'all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved' and 'any man who trusts in me shall never perish but have everlasting life.'
If salvation really is by the grace {That is freely given and unearned favour of God} recieved through faith in Christ then we would have to assume that Baptists, Anglicans,Methodists, Episcopalians, Pentecostals and {yes} even Catholics are 'saved'.
The different interpretations don't generally alter any of the main teachings of the bible but then I guess small minded men with big educations tend to make make big things out of small issues. Christians calling each others church a 'different religion' is like not seeing the wood for the trees if you know what I mean.

Answer 5

All true Christian denominations believe the same when it comes to understanding what a Christian is; ie a follower of Christ. Someone who has repented of their sin and turned to God through faith in Christ.

The reason for denominations tends to be more superficial things like styles of worship or different interpretations of things that aren't crucial to salvation. But all believe we are part of the one true Church.

Someone once said that "what is essential in the Bible is clear and what is clear is essential"; I tend to agree.

Answer 6

The Bible says: "Let God be true, and every man a liar."
I don't care what denomination you are, what faith you believe in, what God you worship... it doesn't matter. The Bible says that God's word is forever settled in the heavens, and it won't change. Therefore I can check whatever you (or scholars) say and if it doesn't go along with what the Bible says, then I don't follow it. The pastor or scholar conforms to the Bible and changes to what it says, not the other way around.

Answer 7

The King James Version of the bible dates back to 1611. This is the English standard bible.
The other newer versions are a spin off to update the language.
It think this is the best bible to use as it gives the original meaning of the words from the original Greek and Hebrew.

Answer 8

This is one reason why I am non-denominational.
Often, the differences are slight-very slight, and over small differences in interpretation.
As far as the Bible, when proper principles of interpretation are followed, we all arrive at the same understanding.
The differences are growing bigger though, because many no longer even believe the doctrines of the inspiration and trustworthiness of the Bible. They doubt that an Almighty God could preserve His words and their meanings for a mere few thousand years' time.
Imagine that! What faith could they have?

Answer 9

I believe it is another example of man's futile attempts on improving what God said. To change God's Word to make it easier for others to understand is to imply you know better than God Himself who inspired the Word. It is for this reason that dsagreements have occurred, and will keep on occurring unless man/woman steps out of the way and allows God's Word to speak for itself. I have been reading the original King James Version since I was saved at the age of 13 (I'm now 59). I have always trusted the Holy Spirit to illuminate my mind in understanding the scripture. God bless you!!!

Answer 10

It is all the same religion, Christianity, the reason there are different denominations is because it gives people more of a choice in the way they choose to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Some believe in silence and reverence, some believe in praise and worship. The thing is people need to find the worship style that makes them feel the closest to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't feel close to God saying Rosaries than find something that makes you feel close to him. It's a choice, if we all had the same worship style I am sure that many would be left behind.

Answer 11

There are different denominations because of the different interpretations Christians use when studying the Bible. There are a spectrum of demoninations, but it should really be called a spectrum of understanding of the Bible. We have a standard interpretation of the Bible and that is called the KJV.