The Bible, its Pussyfooting Translators, and its Lack of Veracity

[McBell]

No because if you buy a used car with defects you will suffer for it, but Jesus is no used car.

Thank you for demonstrating the dirty salesman technique.

 

[Timothy Bryce]

What is even more dangerous is attacking the Bible from ignorance. That is perverse at best and dangerous at worse.

It is amusing to me that some are willing to take the word of someone completely ignorant of the subject they want to discuss. How sad.

Where's the ignorance?

This is what you sound like: "you hurt my feelings so you're ignorant!"

Give me a break.

I'm willing to bet I know the bible far better than you do.

 

[McBell]

Where's the ignorance?

This is what you sound like: "you hurt my feelings so you're ignorant!"

Give me a break.

I'm willing to bet I know the bible far better than you do.

I do find it interesting that the more closed minded someone is about what the Bible means, the more likely they are to declare the ignorance of others when it comes to what the Bible means.

 

[jeager106]

Mestemia
Your avatar gives me nightmares. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

He's actually pretty cool. Where did you find the monster?

 

[jeager106]

Well, to be clear, IMO Christianity isn't just about love. It's also about bloody, eternal revenge (read Revelation).

I've read Revelation and it's scary and depressing.

 

[McBell]

Mestemia
Your avatar gives me nightmares. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

He's actually pretty cool. Where did you find the monster?

My daughter sent me a pic with it years ago.
I have no idea where she found it.

 

[Spiderman]

Thanks, I agree, the Lord creates darkness and evil

 

[Spiderman]

I've read Revelation and it's scary and depressing.

True...and bizarre

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

My conjclusion is you need a better translaltion

you should have taken you own advice. The KJ is not the best translation. In the NKJ evil in that verse has been changed to, guess what--CALAMITY.

Your second mistake was not looking at the context. In that verse God is making comparisons of opposite things: light vs darkness, and the opposite of peace is not "evil" it is, wait for it, it is calamity.

Your third mistake is that in you list of 30 translations, some are not translations. Some are a paraphrase. Some were done by men not qualified in Hebrew to make an accurate translation. If you take the top 10 good translation, you will find, guess what, wait for it---CALAMITY.

Your fourth mistake, the one you continually make, is trying to discredit something you are totally ignorant of.

In conclusion, as long as you are totally ignorant of the Bible, you will continually make a fool of your self.
What you are doing is not a calamity, it is, guess what, wait for it---evil. IMO of course.

So you *are* saying that God deliberately inflicts calamity on humanity?

In fact, in the context of the verse quoted in the OP, I'd say that it implies that God is the ultimate source of ALL calamity. Do you agree?

 

[jeager106]

So you *are* saying that God deliberately inflicts calamity on humanity?

In fact, in the context of the verse quoted in the OP, I'd say that it implies that God is the ultimate source of ALL calamity. Do you agree?

Well if ya put it like that I tend to agree.
But I do believe people ask for all the calamity they desire.

 

[Skwim]

The Bible has been corrupted since before Jeremiahs day. Jeremiah 8:8

The words in the bible are meant to be a catylist to finding the truth. This means that the words hold a great deal more meaning than the translators could ever have imagined. While they have managed to gut the book to the point that the original message is no longer clear, the message can never be destroyed as long as the book exists.
The words of the book are written in the language of the soul. Something the translators could never understand or destroy.

So, if the message is unclear, just how does it impart any benefit?

Jeremiah 8:8
The bible itself says it has been corrupted.

Hardly an encouraging or helpful admission is it.

Skim,
Perhaps it has never occurred to you that all these translations are correct.

You mean that when Isaiah 45:7 says

(KJV)
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."​

It's really saying, "I create evil, disasters, calamity, troubles, woe, bad times, discord, doom, and hard times"? No, this has never occurred to me. Why should it?

The real truth is; the word here means that Go brings on calamity to people who do not obey Him. Now that is not too hard for you to understand,is it???

Not if I read it in one of the three bibles that use it as a translation of the Hebrew רַ רַע (ra`). But the three that use it aren't the only bibles around.

I have noticed you going on about Christian "translations" during several topics, but have you really reached out to those who study these scriptures in their original language, who study also the ancient context and understandings of the language used?

Nope. I haven't had any reason to. As I've pointed out elsewhere, it doesn't matter what the original words were or their meaning. What matters is what the Bibles today are telling their readers is the truth, and If they are misleading the Christian reader then shame on them.
One would think god would see to it that this doesn't happen; that his word would be passed down exactly as he meant it to be, and any potential misinterpretation would be nipped in the bud before it got out to the public.

This is @Skwim's way of reaching out. If it wasn't for him and a few others it would be really boring around here.

Why, thank you.

You should be highly suspicious of everything in your head. You have already pointed out that you are suspicious of what's in others heads without examining your own.

How do you know this? Are you psychic? Maybe I examined my own head and didn't find it suspicious at all.

As I've also found in other instances, words are translated in certain ways to seemingly align with current Judaeo-Christian theology.

This isn't surprising is it?

I've long advocated for a truly useful Miracle, a Scripture that everybody gets the same meaning from.
Tom

Yeah, one would think that God would make sure of it, but either he can't or he doesn't care.



JUST A NOTE OF INTEREST.
Aside from the fact that I have several people on my "Ignore" list who, unbeknownst to me, may have addressed my OP, it seems no one cares about the fact that the translators of the Bible pussyfooted around the interpretation of the Hebrew רַ רַע (ra`), and in so doing should pretty much eliminate any trust in the Bible. Of course I readily recognize the propensity of many Christians to ignore the Bible's failings in favor of holding on to its promise, which, while understandable, is hardly noble or virtuous. So maybe this shouldn't be surprising at all. Hmmmmmm.

.

 

[columbus]

Humanity discovered evil, but it was God who put it there.

How do you know that?

Both because it's the only logical conclusion to be drawn from omnimax God image and also because the Bible says so.
Adam and Eve may have eaten the fruit, but God put it there.
Tom

 

[allfoak]

Why, thank you.

Of course.

So, if the message is unclear, just how does it impart any benefit?

The message used to be much clearer @Skwim.
The message is still there but now it takes more work to find it.

Hardly an encouraging or helpful admission is it.

The point being made by the Bible itself is that knowledge is found within.
The words in the book are just a catalyst.
Most anything or anyone can be a catalyst.

People think they have to take the words literally and as a result, miss the message completely.
Jeremiah knew that those that boasted about having been taught the Law missed the message.

 

[columbus]

The message used to be much clearer @Skwim.
The message is still there but now it takes more work to find it.

That's not very plausible to me. God has such better tools available today than He used to. The premise that some ancient warlord or another had a clearer version than God can produce today makes no sense.
Tom

 

[allfoak]

That's not very plausible to me. God has such better tools available today than He used to. The premise that some ancient warlord or another had a clearer version than God can produce today makes no sense.
Tom

God has nothing to do with it.

 

[columbus]

God has nothing to do with it.

The original message?
That's what we're talking about here.
I agree, I don't think there ever was one and still isn't one today. You are the one who thinks you know what it is.
Tom

 

[allfoak]

The original message?
That's what we're talking about here.
I agree, I don't think there ever was one and still isn't one today. You are the one who thinks you know what it is.
Tom

I take the Deist view on God.
He stays out of our affairs.
We have been given all we need.

The book was written by men and corrupted by men.
The men who wrote it were highly enlightened people and were trying to make sure the message didn't get lost completely.
The men who corrupted it were trying to keep themselves in power.

Now that the book has been corrupted to the point that the message of the way, the truth, and the life is to difficult to discern by the average person there are those that have come back for the purpose of restoring the original message.
If the original message gets lost then the majority of people will never have any hope.

 

[Yohanan ben Yaaqov]

If by “pussyfooting” the original poster means “whitewashing” or “watering down” or “diluting” that which is actually written to lessen the severity, or make it less offensive, there are dozens, if not hundreds. One in particular which comes immediately to mind is Vayyiq’ra/Leviticus 18:20, which reads:

וְאֶל־אֵשֶׁת עֲמִּיתךָ לֹא־תִתֵּן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ לְזָרָע לְטָמְאָה־בָהּ׃
V’el-ʾéshet ʾămiyt’ḵa loʾ-tittén sh’ḵav’t’ḵa l’zaraʿ l’tam’ah-vah:​

“You will not give your emission of semen to the wife of your neighbor for insemination; to defile yourself by her.”

That is the actual translation of that passage. I have never seen any translation which translates what is actually written.

If a man gives a bottle of semen to another man’s wife and she injects it into her vagina with a turkey baster, an eye dropper or a syringe, she is guilty of adultery, and by proxy the one giving it to her is also. Sexual intercourse is not specified and even though that would be the most common and popular method of inseminating a woman, it is not the only method.

The point being if any married woman is impregnated by ANY MEANS other than by her husband, both her and the one impregnating her are guilty of adultery. Can you see how watering something down drastically changes not only what it says, but what it means?

 

[omega2xx]

that's not what I read.

Thatg's what I wrote/

I was not saying you were. Read it again.

You certainly implied I was going to hell, and if you want to talk about irony, why would suggest I am going to place you don't think exists?

I don't believe hell exists. I was using the voice of irony of those who claim it's not their words but God's when they tell others something nasty.

Why don't you stick to what I said? I didn't say anything ab out them being God's words did I.

that's what I see in there too. I also see Christians not doing that, claiming it's not them judging others, but the Bible. I consider that insincere, to say the very least possible.

How do you know they were Christians? What I find insincere is the wide brush you use to try and paint all Christians with your few examples.

Nothing I read of yours suggest an attitude of love,. One of the terms you use to describe yur religion.

 

[Cephus]

Not to debate or anything, , do you ever question the (Quran and Hadith), the (Vedas and The Upanishads), The Tripiṭaka, the Hadith, (Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash), Bahá'í writings, Agamas, and/or The Avesta.

Just wonderin'

I find all religious books to suffer from the same problems and all religious believers to have the same irrational biases.