Pete, part of the reason they're asking you to which denomination you belong is that it's a favorite tactic of Christians who come here to say something vague about their religion, and then when we address them via the "flavor" we think they're promoting, they turn and say, "HA! That's not Christianity at all! You atheists just don't understand Christianity!"
Usually, they're just parroting some preacher who told them that such is the case. The fact is, however, that most of us come from strong religious upbringings, and the majority of us have studied the Bible and the religion itself (not necessarily the same thing, as you pointed out) in great detail... which is why we can discuss things from the point of view of a Pentecostal, for instance... but they never tell us which they are, in order to keep that game going. And, of course, all of them claim to have unique insight into what the Bible really says. It's quite annoying.
My question for you is, why the KJV? It happens to be my favorite translation, as I think the poetic language therein makes passages like those in Ecclesiastes and Psalms extraordinarily beautiful, compared to other translations. That said, the KJV is considered by most modern scholars (yes, Christian ones) to be a fairly poor translation, overall, compared to several of the new ones. It was written by a council of English bishops, for the purpose of helping to prop up the king's claim to rulership. If you don't believe me about this, go to any number of theological sites and read about it, or WikiPedia, or really any site that isn't claiming from the get-go that the KJV must be the only version used. I will provide links if you'd like, but I prefer to let you do your own Googling, so it doesn't appear I'm trying to "lead" you anywhere but to the facts.
I've never quite figured out from whence this uniquely American fascination with the KJV comes.
Usually, they're just parroting some preacher who told them that such is the case. The fact is, however, that most of us come from strong religious upbringings, and the majority of us have studied the Bible and the religion itself (not necessarily the same thing, as you pointed out) in great detail... which is why we can discuss things from the point of view of a Pentecostal, for instance... but they never tell us which they are, in order to keep that game going. And, of course, all of them claim to have unique insight into what the Bible really says. It's quite annoying.
My question for you is, why the KJV? It happens to be my favorite translation, as I think the poetic language therein makes passages like those in Ecclesiastes and Psalms extraordinarily beautiful, compared to other translations. That said, the KJV is considered by most modern scholars (yes, Christian ones) to be a fairly poor translation, overall, compared to several of the new ones. It was written by a council of English bishops, for the purpose of helping to prop up the king's claim to rulership. If you don't believe me about this, go to any number of theological sites and read about it, or WikiPedia, or really any site that isn't claiming from the get-go that the KJV must be the only version used. I will provide links if you'd like, but I prefer to let you do your own Googling, so it doesn't appear I'm trying to "lead" you anywhere but to the facts.
I've never quite figured out from whence this uniquely American fascination with the KJV comes.
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
