And you know what? Except for the “extra” books in the Catholic version, they all seem to say the same thing, only each has their own way of saying it.

It is said that the Bible is the “Word of God.”  (We can talk about that more later on.) Would God not want to be able to reach every person regardless of their language?  How long would it take the average “English speaking” person to learn to understand the Old English in King James? Oh, and let’s not forget that the “original” Catholic and King James versions were assembled from documents written in Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic and a host of languages other than English.

And, as for the Catholic Bible, what is the deal with “extra” books and “different” books? This question has troubled me longer that it should have. For the moment, I am going to assume that the differences were created by man in the name of religion (a sub-segment of politics) and that both are the word of God. Also, it seems plausible that neither is the complete word of God. Why would God be “done talking” to us? Also, don’t you think that in five thousand years that God has had more to say to us than what can be collected in less than two thousand pages? (That’s less that a half page of God’s Word per year.)

So…..It seems only wise to choose a version of the Bible that is best for me.  I have chosen to use the NIKJV as my “base” resource for now and use the others as references.  Some of you may ask “Why didn’t choose the Catholic Bible since it has ‘more’ of God’s Word?” It is only fair that I publicly admit that I still have some bias against the Catholic teachings and am uncomfortable starting there. I credit twelve years of Catholic school for a substantial portion of my “confusion” and animosity toward religion.

Not to worry, I am still open to any views and arguments that come along.  If you have some, please share them.

After reading through the Preface on the three different Bibles at my home, it is clear that the only one claiming “superiority” is the King James Version. Naturally, each of the others professed compelling reasons to choose their version and noted several arguments to support that opinion.  It seams there are really two basic questions to consider: 

1)      Does it really matter which version of the Bible I use, or do I have a choice?  In other words, does the King James truly have an exclusive on authenticity?

2)      If “Yes”, then what exactly is the “official” King James Version? (I’m sorry to say, but there is even disagreement on this one.)

If “No”, then out of the half dozen or so other versions, which should I choose?

My study will, for now, include the three books I have at my disposal. They are:

1. Holy Bible,      Authorized King James Version, Red Letter Edition. Heirloom Bible      Publishers, DeVore & Sons, Inc.,Wichita,      Kansas.

Title page reads: “Translated out of the original tongues and with all former translations diligently compared and revised.”

2. The      Holy Bible, Edited by Reverend John P. O’Connell M.A., S.T.D., The      Catholic Press, Inc.,Chicago,      Illinois.

Title page reads: “Published with the approbation of His Eminence Samuel Cardinal Stritch.

3. The      Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), Words of Christ in Red, Thomas      Nelson Bibles, Printed in theUnited     States of America.

For simplicity sake, I will consider these three versions to be representative of three basic categories: King James, Catholic, all others (which seem to all be derived from King James.)  I hope I do not offend, but it seem like a logical grouping to me.  I’m certainly open to suggestions if anyone has or knows of a better way to categorize.  Regardless, after a quick glance into just these three they all seem to be the same, but different. Hmm.

I am not a minister. I am not a priest. I’m not a Dr. of Philosophy or Theology. With regard to the Bible, I truly am not an expert on anything.

All I am, really, is someone searching to understand “who I am” and, most importantly, whom I should become.  I have chosen the Bible as my guide for my self-study and as the guide for my journey. I am beginning this blog with the hope that by sharing and exchanging thoughts, ideas and concerns with others that we may all benefit from the exercise.

My Confusion.

I first began my study last year at age 50.  That is to say, I have begun reading it cover to cover for the first time. Twelve years of Catholic school did more to confuse me about Religion and the Bible than it did anything else.  For years I have listened to statements and argument from my parents, relatives, teachers, friends (and yes, the media) that confused, confounded and frustrated me.  I am sure many of you can relate. I remember hearing many times that I shouldn’t act or think a certain way “because it’s not Christian.”  What the heck does that mean?  And why do people often disagree on what is or is not “Christian?”

My Decision.

Finally, someone suggested that I should read the book myself to find out what’s really in it and to learn for myself about how God works.  After giving it some thought, I admitted that the time was long overdue.  Besides, I love a good debate, and knowing exactly what’s really written in that book could really come in handy!

My Dilemma.

Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?  But wait a minute… the first dilemma (and source of argument) is already upon me. Believe it or not, I am dismayed to discover that there is heated debate over which version of the Bible is appropriate (or allowable) to use.  Some even contend that improper versions of the Bible are the work of Satan.  Can this be so?