Have you ever caught your minister putting their own spin on the Bible?

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   collegedadposted 11 years ago

   Have you ever caught your minister putting their own spin on the Bible?
   
   I recently sat through a sermon in which the minister state that he used the KJV 1611 bible because it was translate word-for-word from the oldest Greek manuscripts available as ordained by God. Two days later we sat at my kitchen table discussing creation. During this conversation he informed me that the word "create" from the original Greek to "to create from nothing. "I told him that I was surprised to hear him admit that the Bible was mistranslated. He left without finishing his coffee.
   
   Have you ever caught a minister in a similar position?

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   Rayne123posted 11 years ago

   That is a great question coming up at the perfect time.
   
   I have never caught a minister doing such as to be honest  do not go to church, but am a firm believer in God and all he does. I am spiritual, nevertheless this is my short story. I watch ministers and bible studies on tv usually sunday mornings.
   
   Now most of them are full of life and rejoice with the scriptures, walk away and tell their explanation about some of the scriptures, (the way it should be) however this one minister (whom I did email, replied and then I did not like his reply so I contacted him again and would you not know it, no reply ever again) anyway this one minister is from my city and does his sermon on the Sunday morning program.
   
   Now as I was watching I received this strange feeling he is a false prophet, he was  reading like one would read cue cards, rehearsed sort of. Not only that he seemed not into it, almost like he was doing it only for the main reason it was his job.
   
   So I let it go and then I received a vision of this minister holding out the tray they hold with the purple sasha and there were 2 marbles in his tray and the marbles were knocking against each other then proceeded to fail off the tray. The first decoded message I thought was he lost his marbles lol, which of course means he is false so I was right. That is when I send an email and he replied once misunderstanding me and asked me what scripture I found I didnt like, so I once again contacted him with the same reasoning I just said to you minus the details of the vision,although I did tell him I received a vision and well what do you know ,no email ever again.
   
   So ya do they think God doesn't know, what is he defiling God, is he in for a surprise very soon.
   
   Anyway that is my story, sorry it doesn't really match your question but felt I had to share.
   
   Have a good day
   Laurie

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      collegedadposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm glad you found an avenue to share.

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   SidKempposted 11 years ago

   I would suggest that every reader of the Bible puts his or her own spin on it, inevitably. God's original meaning is beyond our understanding. All readings are limited spin. All translations, doing the best we can, are original spin. And for those who look at the history of how the Bible came to be written on Earth, the actual Biblical texts are spin, as well. Remember that no disciple was able to stay awake as Jesus prayed at Gesthemane. How, then, can we fully trust the best later understanding even of the Disciples? And they did not write the Bible, the closest we have (the synoptic gospels) were written by their students.
   
   I admire and value the Bible. But I do not hold that is is perfect.
   
   If we wish to unspin the Truth from any book, even the Bible, let us pray and listen in our own hearts. We may get it wrong. But we've taken responsibility and done our best. If we get it wrong, we suffer the consequences responsibly, learn, and grow.

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      Rayne123posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well I never thought about the time they were asleep. However I am sure Jesus told them what to write on tablets. He would never write a lie. I have researched different bibles and they say the same thing but worded differently.

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      SidKempposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Jesus never had a chance to speak to them about this after Gesthemane. He was arrested. And if he told them after he was resurrected, we have no way of knowing if they understood him well. I'm sure he didn't lie, and they did their best to understand

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      Abby Campbellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great insight, Sid! I agree. :-)

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   LoisRyan13903posted 11 years ago

   Well this was not my pastor but when I worked on the day shift back in the 1990s I used to catch Shephard's Chapel on television and liked in what he had to say.  When Karla Faye Tucker-she was on Death Row for 14 years for a brutal murder and became a Christian-was executed, shephard stated that she would not go to Heaven because she was a murderer.  Yes that's true because the Book of Revelation states that murderers do not go to heaven.  Shephard said that even though she repented of the murders she would still go to hell.  Then he mentioned a Bible verse.  Thinking that she was no longer a murderer in God's eyes, since she repented and felt bad about it, I looked up the verse.  The verse said something like this (I can't remember the book chapter or verse) "Your sins are forgiven and forgotten and your slate is wiped clean."  This was totally opposite of what Shephard said.  Let's just say I never watched Shephard's Chael again. (Note:  If you do not know about Karla Faye tucker you can watch a movie at TBN.Org and on youtube called Karla Faye Tucker: Forevermore). I have been in church sermon's and the pastor may be trying to explain what a passage is trying to say, but he will express that it is in his opinion.  So I would not consider that as putting his own spin on the Bible.

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   dashingscorpioposted 11 years ago

   Every minister puts their own spin on the bible! People also primarily attend churches where they (agree) with a particular minister's interpretation of scripture.
   One of the reasons there are so many "denominations" is because factions don't agree with the underlying meaning of passages.
   The bible is one of the few books where people look to others to tell the meaning of what they just read. :-)

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   Jewelsposted 11 years ago

   I like that minister, he is correct.  Modern versions are not the same as the original texts.  And unless Ministers can experience the teachings themselves, it's very likely that they are conveying an incorrect meaning.  Bible teachings are there for teaching and to experience first hand.  Unless it is understood there will be gross mistranslations and gross misunderstandings - which of course there is.  Even the understanding of The Word is misunderstood.  Most modern day Christians believe the Word to be the Bible itself.  It is not.  The Word is to do with creation.  So there lies a gross misunderstanding of the translation of a term.  Most people I've seen argue this point believe the Word is the Bible.
   
   And maybe the Minister didn't like the coffee.

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   Abby Campbellposted 11 years ago

   I definitely caught many ministers putting their own spin on the Bible. As far as the KJV 1611, why does he think it is "word-for-word from the oldest Greek manuscripts?" The original manuscripts have many flaws with missing text, some even with missing phrases (not just words). Therefore, those words and phrases were replaced by man to make sense. Could this be why there are so many conflicts with believers today? There are Armenianists and Calvinists who take the Bible and interpret it their own ways? Which ones are incorrect? I can understand both of their point of views, but I have read their controversies and can put my own spin on the scriptures myself. In fact, some of the ministers that brought these beliefs to the forefront from centuries ago were not "men of God" as they took people, quartered their bodies, and hung them in the four corners of the city to make examples of them... so that they would not go against their teachings. Why would anyone follow that?
   
   Even most denominations won't have ministers who haven't be ordained by particular Bible colleges or universities. Why so? Wouldn't God's Holy Spirit indwell those who have a heart for Him so that they would allow Him to preach His words through them? Most ministers teach what they have been taught. And, each denomination has their own personalities. I've seen this having a background in the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist, the Methodist, and the Wesleyan church bodies.
   
   If one truly studies the Bible, they will see there are flaws with every single denomination and the preaching of every single minister. This is an unfortunate, but humans are just that --> humans. We have flaws and emotions like the rest of us. Ministers aren't God, and they will make mistakes. Some will make more mistakes than others, depending on how much of a heart they do have for God.
   
   Like Sid mentioned above, each person has to decide for himself or herself. If we allow God to speak to our hearts and minds, we will be confident in the way we live our lives. Personally, I would rather study the scriptures with a group of people without a leader (minister) as God has given each one of us the opportunity to seek Him out like a treasure. It's not just about knowledge, it's about our heart attitude. His greatest command is to love Him with all of our hearts, minds, and souls. His second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If we do this, then our hearts will be in the right place.

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   collegedadposted 11 years ago

   Thanks for all the great comments. I don't often talk about religion, because it can quickly become a heated topic. I was raised in a religion that teaches absolutes. The Bible is absolutely perfect and the religious views of my religion are absolute and are not to be questioned. I don't believe this personally. I believe that the Bible is a group of writings that provide good insights into how we should live. I don't that one religion is any better than another. I do believe that many minister's build their beliefs around what best suites them not scripture. In this case the minister state that the KJV 1611 is and absolutely perfect word-for-word translation yet he contest his own belief. In this case the word "created." "God created the heavens and the earth." He restated that God "created from nothing the heavens and the earth." This completely changes the context of this act in my mind. "God created the heavens and the earth" means to me that he used existing matter to create the heavens and the earth much like we build a structure. "God created from nothing the heavens and the earth" means that God created matter, which this minister agrees with. Yet the same minister disbelieves in the big bang theory as it implies that the universe was created from nothing. I have a lot of fun with this. I've asked every minister who has presented this argument how God created the heavens and the earth? Could God have not created them with an explosive force from a central location? Could God not have created the earth over a period of time as the Hebrew word "yom" implies or over generations as the second chapter of Genesis states? I don't believe that the Bible was intend to be a book of absolutes, but a compilation of scriptures that intended to guide humanity.

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      Abby Campbellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, collegedad. Thanks for sharing your question and insights. It's been a great discussion and learning from others as well. :-)

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   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   Every preacher (as we call them in this area) translates the bible differently. The problem I have with some preachers is them preaching what I call "Inherited religion." Ideas that have been passed down over generations.
   
   Notions such as a woman should only wear dresses. That the preacher should be put on a higher pedestal than the congregation. Wanting to preach and live from the new testament, but only picking and choosing certain scripture to discuss. My brother goes to one of these churches. Most who go there go out of obligation to the preacher and have accepted him for the "way he is?"
   
   Just an example of this man's teaching, I will tell this story. One Sunday I chose to go there with my brother. Keep in mind this preacher is a VERY rich man. He told the congregation that if they were as close to God as he was they would be blessed with wealth as well. "Shocked" I was to say the least.

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      Rayne123posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      hm yea shocked for sure, sounds like a false prophet

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      JThomp42posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely Laurie.

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      Abby Campbellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      LMBO, JThomp42. If he read "Pagan Christianity" by Frank Viola, he may faint. Though there is legalism and tradition in every culture, including the OT, I believe the Bible teaches us to come out of that and worship freely.

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    Deborah Sextonposted 11 years ago

    There is one religion that consists of thousands of people and they put their own spin on the entire Bible. They make it say what they want it to say, when they want it to.
    
    The KJV is not a correct translation and neither is the Greek Bible.
    The Hebrew Bible is the only one that has not been re-translated since 400 BC
    
    "According to the Talmud, much of the contents of the Tanakh were compiled by the "Men of the Great Assembly" by 450 BC, and have since remained unchanged. Modern scholars believe that the process of canonization of the Tanakh became finalized between 200 BC"

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