Poll: 63% of Americans think Bible literally true

[dilloduck]

Here's an example. John 3:16, in various translations:

NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

NASB: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

NLT: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

ESV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

CEV: God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

Six translations, each with minor variances in wording, yet each saying the exact same thing.

Again I ask-----which LITERAL wording is the one 63% of americans believe?

 

[5stringJeff]

I think I'm starting to hear thumps..

Oh no, don't call people Bible thumpers... that will really upset them!

 

[Fmr jarhead]

Kinda hard to explain dinosaurs existence within the realm of the bible, whenthey pre-date man by hundreds of thousands of years....

But, hey...believe what you want...that is why this is such a great country.

 

[5stringJeff]

Again I ask-----which LITERAL wording is the one 63% of americans believe?

And again I tell you, Christians do not make that distinction. -=d=- might read the NIV, I might read the NASB, my other friend might read the NLT, but we all recognize them as "The Bible."

 

[manu1959]

Here's an example. John 3:16, in various translations:

NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

NASB: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

NLT: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

ESV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

CEV: God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

Six translations, each with minor variances in wording, yet each saying the exact same thing.

nevery really die and eternal life are quite different

begotton son....son and only son are quite different

won't quibble on overall intent of john's words but that is john's version not gods and not jesus

 

[5stringJeff]

nevery really die and eternal life are quite different

begotton son....son and only son are quite different

won't quibble on overall intent of john's words but that is john's version not gods and not jesus

Well, if you know Greek, then here are John's words:

ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον.

For the rest of us, issues of translation techniques come into play. Thus, different versions of the Bible.

 

[manu1959]

Kinda hard to explain dinosaurs existence within the realm of the bible, whenthey pre-date man by hundreds of thousands of years....

But, hey...believe what you want...that is why this is such a great country.

not really...if you take the bible as a series of parables loosely based on historical facts to teach man good moral and ethical behaviors and you read the creation of earth / adam and eve etc... as the moment of conscious ness of what we consider modern man then you are cool

 

[manu1959]

Well, if you know Greek, then here are John's words:

ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον.

For the rest of us, issues of translation techniques come into play. Thus, different versions of the Bible.

thanks for changing the subject but that was not my point and i belive you know that

 

[dilloduck]

And again I tell you, Christians do not make that distinction. -=d=- might read the NIV, I might read the NASB, my other friend might read the NLT, but we all recognize them as "The Bible."

And they all are literally different !!!!

 

[dilloduck]

not really...if you take the bible as a series of parables loosely based on historical facts to teach man good moral and ethical behaviors and you read the creation of earth / adam and eve etc... as the moment of conscious ness of what we consider modern man then you are cool

 

[5stringJeff]

OK, back to your point:

nevery really die and eternal life are quite different

begotton son....son and only son are quite different

won't quibble on overall intent of john's words but that is john's version not gods and not jesus

1. The CEV, which you quote, also has "eternal life." It adds "never really die" as a point of clarification, which is consistent with other scriptures.

2. I don't see how those are different at all. All six versions use "only Son," with some adding "begotten."

3. God wrote the Bible through men. Jesus didn't write any of the Bible. What's your point?

 

[5stringJeff]

And they all are literally different !!!!

And yet they all say the same thing.

 

[Nienna]

Kinda hard to explain dinosaurs existence within the realm of the bible, whenthey pre-date man by hundreds of thousands of years....

But, hey...believe what you want...that is why this is such a great country.

How do you know dinosaurs predate man?

 

[Fmr jarhead]

Science....Dr Richard Leakey found remnants of the first humanoid in Africa (oldest known biped, anyway)....not nearly as old as the oldest known fossile from a dinosaur....by several hundred thousand years, if I am not mistaken...

I do like the discription that Manu offered, in that the "consciousness" of man is what the bible refers to.....

 

[Mr. P]

Oh no, don't call people Bible thumpers... that will really upset them!

Yea think..?

 

[Nienna]

Science....Dr Richard Leakey found remnants of the first humanoid in Africa (oldest known biped, anyway)....not nearly as old as the oldest known fossile from a dinosaur....by several hundred thousand years, if I am not mistaken...

I do like the discription that Manu offered, in that the "consciousness" of man is what the bible refers to.....

What type of science did he use to date these things? I'm not trying to be mean... just wondering.

 

[Mr. P]

What type of science did he use to date these things? I'm not trying to be mean... just wondering.

What type science dating do you approve of mom..I have a feeling none of it will be satisfactory for you......just wondering.

 

[dmp]

What we have here, in this very thread, is at least one guy who wants to pick apart things for the sake of picking things apart. One guy wants to ask the question "Which do they believe is LITERAL?" to these verses:

God gave his one and only Son...
Jesus, God's only and one Son...
A only Son was given by God...

Seriously - for one to take issue with the grammar, while avoiding the content shows they may be beyond hope of reason.

 

[Nienna]

What type science dating do you approve of mom..I have a feeling none of it will be satisfactory for you......just wondering.

It isn't a matter of what I approve, but he brought up the topic of science, specifically dinosaurs. I thought we could have a respectful discussion. Why do people believe that dinosaurs disprove a "literal" reading of the Bible? In line with this question, I ask about dating methods.

Also relevant is the recent discovery of soft tissue in dinosaur bones. How could soft tissue survive for hundreds of thousands of years, much less hundreds of thousands of years before the hundreds of thousands that man has supposedly been here?

Another point of interest is cave drawings depicting dinosaurs (One in White River Canyon, Utah comes to mind) along with other animals these people hunted or observed.

 

[dmp]

It isn't a matter of what I approve, but he brought up the topic of science, specifically dinosaurs. I thought we could have a respectful discussion. Why do people believe that dinosaurs disprove a "literal" reading of the Bible? In line with this question, I ask about dating methods.

...because allowing evidence of their faith in Evolution being misplaced forces a convicting reality.