Posted on 01/27/2018 6:52:30 AM PST by tiredofallofit
Okay, so there is more than just one problem with the KJV Only movement. I know that. But having grown up in a KJV only church, there is one major problem that sticks out to me above the rest. It is not just a major problem; it is an insurmountable problem. And it drives me crazy.
If the King James Version, which is a 1611 English translation of the Bible, is truly the only infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God, then what about the billions of people who have lived and died and never understood a word of English? At this very moment, there are more than 6 billion people in the world who understand little or no English.
And lest we forget, it wasn’t until 1455 that the first Bible was printed (on the Gutenberg Press) and then much later into the 16th century before the Bible became affordable and widely available. These early Bibles were printed in Latin. This begs an important question. Did the Faithful over the centuries who either never had access to the Bible or had to read it in Latin go to hell because they never held the King James Version in their hands?
By claiming that the King James Version is God’s only chosen version, the KJV Only crowd is dismissing tens of centuries of Christendom and implying that the majority of the world populations today cannot know the truth of God’s word. Such a claim is arrogant and nonsensical. Most of these KJV types proclaim their adherence to “Sola Scriptura” yet nowhere in the King James Version does it tell us which version is the true one. Many of these same people also express their disdain for the”traditions of men” while at the same time swearing allegiance...
(Excerpt) Read more at runningawayfrommychurch.com ...
“You have never heard of KJV Onlyism??”
Must be a noob to FR. ;-)
The old joke is that KJV is written in the language that Jesus spoke, and thus must be infallible. (wrong of course, but I know many who actually believe this.)
I’ve run into a few people with this belief but IMHO KJV Onlyism is too silly for serious discussion.
“You have never heard of KJV Onlyism??”
—
The only place I’ve run into is online, not in real life. There’s some woman who’s made a career for herself on KJV-only talks, books, videos etc - don’t recall her name right off the bat, though.
You are probably thinking of Gail Riplinger. James Andersen from Word of Faith is another major proponent of this as well.
No thank you. I’ve read the KJV Bible and much of its language is hard to comprehend by 2018 readers. I’ll take a good modern translation from the original ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek texts.
Thank you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutenberg_Bible
The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the first major book printed in the West using movable type. It marked the start of the “Gutenberg Revolution” and the age of the printed book in the West. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities,[1] the book has an iconic status. Written in Latin, the Gutenberg Bible is an edition of the Vulgate, printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, in present-day Germany, in the 1450s.
“Maybe the “Good News Bible” is more accurate but not sure.”
A friend of mine, Bob Bratcher, who passed away a few years ago was one of the key interpreters who translated the “Good News Bible.” Bob’s focus was to create a translation that could easily be understood by less educated people.
Just as Luther’s reason for translating the Bible into German from Latin was to empower more individual’s to read the Bible themselves and interpret it on their own. After all, it was clear that the church authorities interpretation was fallible.
Eric Erikson, in his book “The Psychoanalysis of Martin Luther,” quoted Anna Freud (Sigmund’s daughter) as saying “The period of reformation was the period of the beginning of the glorification of the ego of common man.” That is a very true statement.
God likes a flat organizational structure where everyone has a direct connection to the Boss, and not a hierarchy on earth. The Bible is a tool to guide each individual on their own journey. In order to grow spiritually closer to God, you must first be FREE. Freedom is critical as if you have surrendered your individual authority to another human being or the government, it is not available for you to surrender to God.
A Bible that you can read in any language and relate to is the first step toward self empowerment and freedom.
This whole discussion strikes me as a bit odd. Pretty much attacking a paper tiger.
Then something struck me.
I once had a visit from two young Mormon men. They were nice, and well intentioned. One of the first things they tried to do is get me to distrust the Bible, particularly the KJV.
They quoted a particular couple of verses which did indeed sound contradictory. I later asked my pastor about it and he said that the verses did sound that way but explained what they really said and I realized it was the two young men who were wrong.
The truth is, read side by side they're all pretty close.
I know there are KJV only churches and attended one myself for awhile. I’m not sure that was exactly what was believed, though. To me it seemed more like the belief was that the KJV was the best English translation to use for our time and place, and that the Lord brought it about to give us a translation we could trust in. After reading other versions, it’s what I’ve settled on, but I’ll still look at other versions and Bible dictionaries and commentaries. I’ve found the KJV to be best overall because it was translated before the rejection of God by modern liberal scholars and modern society in general, and it’s also not subject to copyright. Overall, I do believe the Lord has set the KJV above the other English translations.
Therefore, I'm always very suspicious of those who attack such an absolute classic of English literature by attempting to paint those who love the KJV as, get this... ignorant somehow.
I've never heard of "KJV Onlyism" anywhere but here on FR, being peddled by people attempting to push their own particular sect that does not use the KJV.
There are many perfectly fine translations of the Bible. Some who have less facility with the English language may struggle with the soaring, Shakespearean but somewhat archaic words and sentence structures. For those individuals it's a crying a shame that they're not literate enough to appreciate the KJV, but there are modern English translations that are quite accurate.
There are other, historical translations that are also perfectly acceptable, for instance that great work of the Protestant Reformer John Calvin, the Geneva Bible. We're also ever-grateful to them for introducing many practical things to readers of the Bible, such as numbered verses and a highly legible, modern typeface rather than Gothic lettering.
But, there are others who have mistranslated with an agenda, having distorted the Word to their own ends. Those are to be avoided. Those will remain to be named by others who will no doubt point them out by name, and thus the flame war that those who post this sort of thing are typically hoping for will be on.
Yeah, those ignorant rubes. Everybody knows he spoke Latin. /s
There is an old story that back in the early days of the last century a certain Governor of Texas signed a law forbidding the teaching of any language in Texas schools other than English. He explained his action thusly...
“If English was good enough for Jesus Christ then it’s good enough for the people of Texas.”
The issue is with the synthesized eclectic critical Greek text as the underlying text from which essentially all modern translations, and abandons the Byzantine/Majority Greek Textform common to Christendom.
Furthermore many/most modern versions have imagined that by interpreting the Scriptures using a dynamic equivalency rather than a literal equivalent method, that they are doing the reader a divinely appointed service.
The KJV/AV uses the literal/grammatical/historical/cultural method to translate, as well as minimizing interpretive input to the bare minimum, thus more closely appraching truthfulness in translation.
The KJV/AV stands far above any modern version in its scholarship and simplicity of language, if one is willing to learn a little more of the richness of an English vocabulary.
Which apparently The author of this article misses. No sensible believer will accept the Ruckman/Riplinger KJVO viewpoint that somehow the KJV version is verbally inspired or infallible.
Deuteronomy 4:19 & Malachi 1:11.
“But there does have to be SOME standard by which we measure the accurateness of Biblical interpretation? If we all just hold to our own interpretations how can Christianity be achieved?”
Christianity is more what is in your heart and soul than what is in your head. If you focus your heart and soul toward God, you will be guided and your head will follow. There are many paths that lead to God, but as you grow spiritually the paths combine and get narrower. In reality, there is only one path. I am a Christian and Jesus is my savior as He lowered Himself to my level in the flesh to teach me the Path. Thus the original Christians were called “People of the Way.”
My experience is that Jesus’ great sacrifice was separating from constant awareness of being “One with His Father” to our level in the flesh to teach us as He grew and reconnected. (this is the reason that 1John 4;1-3 scriptures on testing spirits works)
I personally have already died and experienced Heaven. I miss it so much that I have wanted to die for the last thirty years since my death experience. I did not want to return to my flesh.(I was told I had to return) Once you have experienced Heaven, you no longer fear death, you view it as a blessing. I don’t care what happens to my physical body as my soul seeks freedom to return home.
Asking for and receiving the Holy Spirit is the key to Bible interpretation. I have often learned by listening to the words coming out of my mouth that were not mine. This is why the ultimate sin is to reject the Holy Spirit, that guides us on our path.
Remember in Acts where it speaks of Peter and someone else..”Who are these unlearned men who are so wise?” The wisdom comes from allowing the Holy spirit to enter us.
What I speak of is real and experiential, not theoretical. I urge everyone to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Just as when you were baptised with water, you can be baptised with the Holy Spirit. No human can do this. It must be done alone in prayerful meditation. Ask and you shall receive. Warning... Be careful what you ask for as when the Holy Spirit moves in, your life will feel as though you are in a washing machine and in much turmoil as it cleanses your soul of the many wounds you have accumulated in your life.
Blessings on your journey.
The KJV, including the Apocrypha, was translated by 48 scholars, all in the Church of England, that portion of the Catholic church stolen from the pope by Henry VIII, who wouldn’t let him divorce his wife and marry Ann Bolyn.
It’s very good for a 48 man English Catholic translation, but were such a translation to come out now, most of us wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole, dry oak.
Years ago, I did a considerable amount of research into KJV Only and I do not recall anyone claiming that a person had to read the Bible in order to receive eternal salvation.
If I am correct, then this article is a very long Straw Man logical fallacy.
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