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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....
Whatever version of the Bible you choose, my advice to you would be to read the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The next book following the gospels is the book of the Acts of the apostles. It is written by Luke and is all about how the church began.
Before listening to other's biased opinions, read those books for yourself. Judging from your post, you are intelligent and very capable of reading those five books of the Bible on your own. When you read, the Holy Spirit will do His work and guide you.
You are already half way there my friend. You are seeking, and Jesus promised if you seek, you will find.
If I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to message me.
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....
ahhh... you shouldn't offend anyone by asking for advice. and if you do offend them because of it, you shouldn't worry about them anyway.
different versions of the bible (king james, new king james, New american standard, New international version)...etc, etc, are just different translations.
Some are closer to the original meaning of the original greek than others.
the best way to illustrate this is to just take single example of it. and one of the most common scriptures ever quoted is John 3:16... here's a breakdown.
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
course there are other versions... and even among these alone there are differences. the NIV for instance saw fit to leave out begotten... does it lose something in translation... maybe... but the idea comes across.
I prefer the New American Standard Version. I find its the closest to the original language. but I have KJV and an NIV. but my go to is a NASV. message me with any questions you don't want to post here.
original NIV, NASB, NKJV. All the others I'd avoid. If there are some very good, why bother with the junk.
i should have added this to my post, but PP beat me to it. he's right... some translations are taking liberties and omit certain portions of scripture.
The bible is important, i do not take that away from it. i read it, study it, and i enjoy it. However, there is too much emphasis on the literal book. We say it is the word of God, Paul told the early churches to let the word of God dwell in them. But at that time there was no bible. paul never thought that his letters would become scripture. But what really is the word of God? is it the literal bible or is it his spirit. Many in these churches were illiterate, they had the spirit of God.
If today all the bibles of the planet would just dissapear i would not care too much. I depend on God and his word spoken to my spirit. I will continue on my walk with no problems if i had no bible.
But if you want a very good bible, there is the " concordant literal translation"
There was the Bible, or, if you prefer, the Jewish Bible.
This is not the same as the so-called Christian Old Testament, which is a agenda-driven mistranslation of the Jewish Bible.
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