This is interesting to me because even at this point in the thread I could not have told you what version of the Bible the average Catholic reads. So it's the New American? I have heard of it, but I know nothing about it. What is the approach it takes, and what version do you prefer?
Combined with the notion that the NIV is The Only Scripture Beyond Which There Is Nothing But Evil Popery the end result is worse than if no scripture reading were attempted.
LOL! Well, I hope that no fellow NIV reader has really given you that impression. :) I do not believe that the NIV is the ONLY version. In fact, I have gotten quite an education from folks from every side on this thread that the KJV is really the way to go on many levels. I'm still looking into it, but every time I have cross-referrenced it recently, I have not met with any surprises, so that's good.
I know very little of the NAB. Every now and then I notice that it follows King James rather slavishly, as for example, in Luke 1:34 and John 19:27. It is what is proclaimed during Mass. We all await a more orthodox translation, but like I said, it is less of an acute necessity for a Catholic to follow the precise translation. I wish they just used Douay, as the closest to Jerome's Vulgate.