Christian answering questions too!

[PETE_ROSE]

I subscribe to the bible.   There is a term, sola scriptura, I am fond of.   

[abaris]

And....?

[PETE_ROSE]

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.

I too enjoy the flow and syntax of the words in the KJV.  I spent many years in the UK so I find myself imagining the words being spoken with a British accent at times.  I have read a few versions and still compare them with the KJV and find the message watered down or in my opinion corrupted upon occasion.  I would endorse the Holman Christian Standard Bible as well.  I too looked at how both translations of the KJV and the HCSB came to be, I however do not share your conclusion on the KJV being a poor translation.

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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.

I too enjoy the flow and syntax of the words in the KJV.  I spent many years in the UK so I find myself imagining the words being spoken with a British accent at times.  I have read a few versions and still compare them with the KJV and find the message watered down or in my opinion corrupted upon occasion.  I would endorse the Holman Christian Standard Bible as well.  I too looked at how both translations of the KJV and the HCSB came to be, I however do not share your conclusion on the KJV being a poor translation.

By the way you should be out riding on this beautiful day!

[Edwardo Piet]

Out of pure curiosity, I was wondering why is your entire forum name here in capitals?

And my Biblical question is: Do you believe Jesus believed he was the messiah, do you believe a bunch of people misunderstood him and he was just a normal wise man, or do you believe something else regarding Jesus?

[PETE_ROSE]

So true what you say about the fascination with the KJV being a uniquely American trait. I was raised in several different countries across Europe, and have continued to spend a portion of my adult life on foreign soil; I doubt there was much American bias predisposing me to the KJV. When I got serious about studying the bible I read up on how they were translated and assembled if you will, and that the KJV (and the HCSB) provided an authentic and accurate translation of the text. I have found those pesky Catholics got there first in many cases so you are correct in it not being the predominant text found worldwide.

[robvalue]

Why should I care if Christianity has any truth to it? What difference do you think it should make to me?

[PETE_ROSE]

Out of pure curiosity, I was wondering why is your entire forum name here in capitals?

And my Biblical question is: Do you believe Jesus believed he was the messiah, do you believe a bunch of people misunderstood him and he was just a normal wise man, or do you believe something else regarding Jesus?

I left my name is in all caps because that is how it was displayed in another forum I was a member of many years prior.  I am told now that typing in all caps implies to others you are yelling.  I am not shouting nor do I know of any other underlying meaning an all caps username would imply. 
 
As for whom I believe Jesus was/is:  I believe Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.  That he was both God and man.  I would not state that he was misunderstood if you are referring to the Jewish leadership of the New Testament.  I would say he was a wise man but that mere wisdom does not denote deity or anything truly remarkable, just being wise. 

 I see you state that you are Muslim sir.  I have spent some time in the Middle East.  I must say people over there are devout to say the least.  I was very surprised by what I experienced over there.  It was my perception that most Muslims were much more dedicated to their walk with God than most Americans are.  I was taken aback at times when observing soldiers openly praying on the street when the call to prayer would sound.  Who do you believe Christ is?   

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Why should I care if Christianity has any truth to it? What difference do you think it should make to me?

The first thing that comes to mind would be the eternal ramifications of Christianity if what it purports to be true is.

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Why should I care if Christianity has any truth to it? What difference do you think it should make to me?

The first thing that comes to mind would be the eternal ramifications of Christianity if what it purports to be true is.

I can expound on that by stating why I should care if atheism, or any other religion for that matter proves to be true.

[drfuzzy]

[abaris]

The first thing that comes to mind would be the eternal ramifications of Christianity if what it purports to be true is.

So let's get down to business, shall we? Why is it true? Your brand of christianity, that is. In lights of what we know about earth, the universe. In lights of others holding the very same presumptions about their own brand of christianity or another belief entirely.

This is your chance of a litmus test, so you should jump at it.

You still haven't said what you actually believe though. Sola scriptura doesn't cut it. Unless you want to claim literacy, in which case I'm done here.

[PETE_ROSE]

The short answer is that I do not see what we know about earth or the universe to be in contradiction with my brand of Christianity.