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I've never read the Bible. But I'm 23, curious, and interested in learning more. I can go to any big bookstore (B&N type) and see shelf after shelf after shelf with different Bibles and I don't know the difference between any of them.
Long, detailed/reasoned? story:
When I was really little my family went to a Methodist church every week. I was baptized in that church. Sunday School and regular Sunday service. Maybe Wednesdays too, I'm not really sure. When my parents divorced we stopped going -- on both sides. Eventually my mom remarried and we started going to a different Methodist church. I dreaded going...I found it boring, strict, and I was there because my parents made me go. For whatever reason, my parents stopped going regularly and would go for the "major" services like Christmas Eve. I hated going to that because I felt we were only there because it was the holiday and we wouldn't have gone otherwise, as in we went because it was socially expected in our small town.
I honestly can't remember the last time I was in a church (minus the below visit w/ my brother) other than a wedding, funeral, or standardized test I took in high school. Maybe when I was 10 or 11? My parents in the last couple years have started going regularly again, now to an Evangelical Free church. My older brother moved out, met a girl, and she started taking him to church. He goes twice a week to church and once a week to an informal group meeting with people from his church, but religion isn't really discussed there. When I visited him for a week he asked me if I wanted to go and I didn't want to offend him or his g/f (although he knew I hadn't been in years), so I said I'd go. I felt so out of the loop; I had no idea what anyone was discussing or what the story told in the main service had to do with religion.
Throughout college, friends would go to Easter mass, talk about going to Christmas Eve mass with their families over break, talk about Ash Wednesday or ask if I wanted to go to church with them. I always said no, because I felt "weird" being there when I didn't know what was going on.
Some of my close friends go to church every week (some 2x or more), some don't go at all and have declared themselves atheist or agnostic. When religion is brought up between two on different sides, sometimes it's cordial and sometimes it gets ugly. Both times I have no idea what anyone is talking about. They reference the Bible and I'm just kinda there in my own confused little world.
/rant
I just have no idea about anything related to religion. I'll admit, I'm ignorant and clueless. I had the opportunity to take multiple religion courses in college as electives, and always chose other courses because I felt weird being in a religion course, no matter if it was a pro-religion, anti-religion, dont-know-anything-about-religion course, etc.
But I'm over a year out of school, on my own in the world, and generally just curious. I want to know about Christianity and who knows? Maybe I'll start attending church. Maybe I'll continue to not attend, but at least be educated about what forms Christians' beliefs. And FWIW, I'm considering a move to the Salt Lake City area in a few months and I'm curious about the LDS culture. I've read a lot about it and have friends who live there -- some LDS, some not. This is more or less what sparked my interest in learning more about religion in general. I may move there and not become LDS, but I want to be educated.
So back to my original question, is there a "right" Bible? Does it depend on your chosen religion (as in Methodist vs Catholic, etc.)? Is there one that just covers all Christian religions under one hat? Or all they all the same, just different covers (literally & figuratively)? Just looking at a few websites, one has 3000+ listings under "King James Bible" and another has 95000+ listings for "bible". I searched King James Bible because it's the one I've heard most about...come to find it comes in 3000 forms?!
Sorry if I've offended anyone, but I don't know how to ask the above. Thanks in advance for all replies....
Last edited by Droppin By; 02-19-2012 at 05:29 PM..
Nearly all Bibles are OK. Some a tad more accurate than others. For the first time reader, you should avoid the King James Version, unless you are really good with Shakespere-same kind of English.
The New International Version is a good choice. Modern English, easy to read and accurate in a thought for thought (conceptual rather than word for word literal) format.
A site that has a bunch of different translations.
The Bible is actually an excellent set of books to read. I recommend reading it for its literary value alone. Very few books have ever been written with such complex writing styles in quite the way the Bible has.
However, whether or not you should actually believe in what is written is a different matter altogether.
Last edited by Miss Blue; 02-20-2012 at 08:42 AM..
I think your question is really two questions: which translation, and which canon?
As far as translation goes, I'd probably just go with a modern text - for a first read, basic understanding/comprehension is probably most important. The New International Version, as pointed out already, is probably as good as any. I don't really keep up with Bible translations though, so others might have better suggestions.
But when you do read it, you'll have to keep in mind that these texts have been translated over and over, and to realize that there are tons of footnotes to really understand what's going on.
You also touch upon the fact that different denominations use different bibles - this is known as the canon. When the church leaders first put together the Christian bible, they had a whole bunch of individual books lying around, and they made to make judgment calls as to which books were included. As more and more denominations have been created, the canon, or included books, has changed a bit.
This link gives a good rough overview of how the bible has changed. There is a great deal of overlap, but they are not the same. As for which is right? Depends on who you ask.
In short: there isn't a "right" Bible. Short of learning Hebrew and Greek, and reading both the mainstream bible and all the apocrypha written at about the same time, you'll have to make do with translations and edited works.
Rather than which translation you use, the more important issue is that the spirit gives you the correct meaning for His plan and purpose in your life, at this time in your life. The biggest obstacle isn't the translation, but the carnal mind from which we reason.
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