Posted on 11/30/2022 9:12:04 AM PST by Rummyfan
100%!
For when you retire, find out if there is one of these near you: Community Bible Study.org
I commuted 20 miles to one near us for years. More than 300 men and women (singles and couples) and children from 91 local churches of many denominations attended, half a day once a week. The study is textual, not denominational -- i.e. if the Bible says "they threw lots", what is a lot? Or if distances or dates or some ethnic ritual is mentioned, or there are scriptural claims that have since been supported by archaeology, these are all explained, plus commentary on the writing or translation methods.
Once all those details become clear, the meaning really leaps out at you because the "clutter" of "what's that?" is cleared away. There is a workbook and assigned reading, like a college course, and strict rules of engagement to keep the small breakout classes focused.
Changed my life.
By the way, there are scholarly disputes about whether Shakespeare may have edited the translations of the KJV to produce the beautiful expression of ithe final version. The idea is kicked around here.
That is interesting stuff there, AW.
As for the Bible, I am currently mired down in Psalms. I don’t fully understand this book, and since I am not inclined to simply skim it (and thus not remember it) it is taking me a while. I have decided to simply read at least a few a day at minimum.
I am eager to get to the New Testament, but I have found the Old Testament to be very interesting, particularly with respect to aspects of human nature...especially the negative aspects.
Leftists don’t believe in God, so they think the ills of mankind can be cured by engineering those negative aspects out of man.
Conservatives (including the Founders of this nation) understood correctly that you cannot engineer the negative aspects of human nature out of man. It always has existed, and always will exist. As such, it must be taken into account, guarded against, and minimized.
Correct. The unavoidablity of sin is part of the Fall, and the great distance between our most strenuous attempts to "be a good person" and the infinite perfection of God is why we need a Savior. And one of the joys of deeper study farther along is to learn the many ways the Old Testament points to everything in the New.
I also started with the Psalms when Ms Artsy Bohemian hit a big roadblock in life, somewhat before the ease of laptop or iPad use; so I got a book version of the contemporary English New Living Translation (NLT) to read alongside the inspired poetry of the KJV. Again, there is scholarly dispute about the accuracy of the NLT; but there's always the work of the Spirit in contemplating scripture. Other good contemporary versions are the English Standard Version (ESV) and the American Standard Version (ASV).
There is also now the handy BibleHub.com web site that spreads 'em all out—enter a verse in the search bar and see many, many translations. Or, if you remember a fragment of verse from hearing it somewhere, you can use BibleHub to look it up. My other fave is BibleGateway.com for lookups, keywords, or for reading long passages. It lets you toggle between many translations. Both those sites also offer phone apps.
Take your time and enjoy, knowing that any of us could step off a curb and be hit by a bus and face judgment just as we now are! No pressure! The main thing is to let the Lord Jesus come into our hearts to lead our lives and be our Savior. The rest is, as you are doing, learning a little at a time.
Nerd/off
Thank you, AW. I am humbled by the number of people on this website who have helped me, and offered to help me in this spiritual journey to God.
It is heartening.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.