Which version of the bible should non-Christians read?

1. 86

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   Which version of the bible should non-Christians read?
   
   There are many different versions of the bible, but if you were to pick one to be the best representation of modern Christianity, which would it be?

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2. 48

   iamrobtrevposted 10 years ago

   The truth is, all Bibles can be translated (with the right effort) into "modern Christianity". However, if you were to pick one version for non-Christians, maybe The Message, which is one of the options available on the Play Store App "The Bible", it is a simplified version that anyone can understand (although all Bibles could be understood and there is no complication to the Christian faith). There are many others, but The Message is the way to go if you want the closest thing to the Bible, but not the actual Bible. I hope this helps.

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   1. 54

      celafoeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      "modern christianity" is not what people need , Scriptural  (true) Christianity is needed.   Some bibles have too much error.  Scripture says the bible in depth  is not understood by non believers
      of course the salvation message is clear to all

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   2. 79

      PlanksandNailsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The Meassage is not a translation, it is what men want the Bible to say. It is not a Bible, but a commentary on the Bible.

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3. 86

   Jackie Lynnleyposted 10 years ago

   I'd vote for the Zondervan bible. You don't have thees and thous which especially put new readers of scripture to sleep and since we don't talk like that why read it if you don't want to? Zondervan does not take away any of the word as some bibles do but extends it. Like to tell you different meanings in parentheses to help you better understand words that have maybe complicated meanings for different interpretations. I think it is a great study bible and I have my King James too. I trust it completely.

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      PlanksandNailsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Zondervan publishers is owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns several pornography publications and the division of the satanic bible publishers (Harper Collins). These "bibles" are supported by many apostate teachers. Zondervan is not trustworthy.

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4. 61

   Porshadoxusposted 10 years ago

   I asked a similar question of a Greek/Hebrew scholar friend of mine a few years back. He recommended the New American Standard Bible (NASB). His reason was that the translators of this version, several of which he knew personally, made special effort to preserve the word choices of the manuscripts, as far as possible when moving into English.

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   1. 54

      celafoeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      porsh--- wow  I apologize, i completely missed it was for non Christians, forgive me .   you are correct that makes it ridiculous.   how can I change it do you know?

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   2. 86

      M. T. Dremerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      celafoe, I removed the previous answer. Please feel free to make a new one as I am still interested in hearing suggestions.

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   3. 54

      celafoeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      porsh-- thanks I have replaced it

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   4. 61

      Porshadoxusposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The purpose for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is given in Acts 1:8. John 14:26 refers to the more general activity of the Holy Spirit on earth after the time of Jesus.

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5. 0

   christiananrkistposted 10 years ago

   I cant pick 1. Personally use 3. the first one is the new american standard bible (NASB). This  translation is what known as a word for word translation. It tries to translate the greeka and hebrew into a word for word as much as possible. the next one i like is the new international version (NIV). this is whats known as a thought for thought translation. this is typically and easier read because it translates the bible in a way most people think of things and how we speak to each other today. this also seems to be the favorite of most christians i know. the final one i like is the holman christian standard bible (HCSB) . this is a combination of the 2 and tries to use the word for word when they felt best fits and thought for thought when they felt best fits. I like to use all 3 to get a better understanding of just whats trying to be communicated.

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   1. 86

      Ms Deeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am a Bible translator (translating using multiple sources into a minority language) and if I had to pick just one, it would be the HCSB. It is the most helpful single version to me for understanding the original intended meaning.

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6. 54

   celafoeposted 10 years ago

   I do NOT recommend the NIV or the old KJV.
   my hands down choice for a non Christian or a new believer is the Amplified Bible.
   It is  still my favorite bible but because it is "wordy" not a lot of people use it. 
   It was my primary bible for my first 3 yrs.   I recommend that anyone that is wanting to understand the bible also use an interlinear as it is a word for word translation without the added and changed words to make it more grammatically correct .    Remember,the bible has been translated from the original language and that is why there are so many different versions.    Many include considerable opinion, which should not be there.
   My primary bible these last 35 yrs is the NKJV but i use it and the Amplified and Interlinear daily.
   I would also add that a non believer needs to understand that a complete and  indepth understanding of the bible requires 2 things.  The first is a knowledge of the entire bible and the second is being a Christian and being baptized in the Holy Spirit of God as the bible is a roadmap for Christians and some of it will not make sense to non believers, thats why it can only be completely and fully correctly understood with the help of the Holy Spirit .
   I would also be sure they understand the ALL of the bible is compatible with itself, there are NO contradictions.     Where there appears to be a contradiction  it means you have a misunderstanding as there are no contradictions.
   I would also caution that they need to understand that parts of it are views from the perspective of different people, not different stories.   and a few other things that seem to confuse people such as  Chapter one and two of Genesis are about the same period of time but  different/additional information.

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7. 71

   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   The term "modern Christianity" is a loose canon. Today's Christianity has more to do with ego than Christ, and ego is the enemy of all.
   
   I would recommend reading many versions, but the problem with most people reading the Bible is that they take it literally. The Bible is not to be read literally, but spiritually -- in-spired.
   
   The subject of the Bible is a spiritual Rescue Mission. There is wisdom hidden within the Bible and biblical literalists (whether believers or non-believers) will never see it.
   
   The Truth is spiritual, not physical. The language of Truth is spiritual and languages based on physical things can only approximate that Spiritual Truth.
   
   Some translations butcher that Truth on certain passages by changing enough of its literal meaning to make the original spiritual message unreachable through the Bible itself.
   
   But any version can be helpful, if you start with the right mindset. You need to start with the idea that God is love. Everything the Bible says about God's "wrath" or "vengeance" must be read in the context of love. If you cling to the literal, you cannot reach into that spiritual space. If you let go of the literal, you can see with spiritual eyes and navigate the true meaning of biblical scripture.
   
   It's easy to find contradiction if you look only through literal eyes. The literal is fallible; only the spirit is infallible. Most Christians don't get this and thus they have denominations. And that's an ego thing.
   
   Yeshua said that those who are first (egotistical) shall be last. Why? Because ego is physical (energy and time) and thus cannot fit in Heaven, because that divine "place" is entirely non-physical. It's like trying to squeeze through a very narrow gate, sucking in your gut, but lugging a steamer trunk behind you. If you cling to the trunk (ego) then you cannot fit through the gate. Only the last (most humble) can make it through.

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