How many different types of bibles are there?

Prometheus · 08-25-2007, 12:20 PM

I know there are lots of bibles about, but how many are there in total?

I know there are the christain bibles of all the varieties and then all the q'ran's and the torahs and stuff like that, but is there a load more?

Has any very keen religion gone through their own bible and corrected all the mistakes to get them as near as possible to being plausible, so people can't pull their pants down and just keep on correcting them on contradictions or bits of nonsense that they have overlooked?

I know with the christian bible, it is loaded with massive amounts of contradictions, so why not do a final revised edition and iron out all the messy junk that does not make sense?

Rouger2 · 08-25-2007, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I know there are lots of bibles about, but how many are there in total?

I know there are the christain bibles of all the varieties and then all the q'ran's and the torahs and stuff like that, but is there a load more?

Has any very keen religion gone through their own bible and corrected all the mistakes to get them as near as possible to being plausible, so people can't pull their pants down and just keep on correcting them on contradictions or bits of nonsense that they have overlooked?

I know with the christian bible, it is loaded with massive amounts of contradictions, so why not do a final revised edition and iron out all the messy junk that does not make sense?

Great idea but who would do it, and who would the religions let do it as so many believe in a literal translation. I myself believe the Bible should only be used as a guide in life, and I believe it is a great guide, but like you say it has bits of nonsense and contradictions yet it has so many valuable lessons for us it had to have been influenced by the creator.

Prometheus · 08-25-2007, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Rouger2

Great idea but who would do it, and who would the religions let do it as so many believe in a literal translation. I myself believe the Bible should only be used as a guide in life, and I believe it is a great guide, but like you say it has bits of nonsense and contradictions yet it has so many valuable lessons for us it had to have been influenced by the creator.

Which bible do you follow?

I know most bibles are full of mad stuff, and the christian one is not much different. Do you pick out bits and stuff from one bible or use a selection of stuff from others?

Dylith · 08-27-2007, 10:11 PM

As far as the Qur'an goes, most Muslims will insist that it hasnever been altered. It was all collected not to long after Muhammad's death by those who were there for the first tellings. Now, there has been some dispute over things such as the satanic verses (basically Meccan nobles came to Muhammad and said that they wouldn't persecute Islam anymore if Muhammad agreed to include a two other dieties in Islam's worship, the story goes that Muhammad agreed, but soon after changed his mind)

Aside from that there are many Hadiths, which are things the prophet said, did and/or approved of. Of them, there are many and no two schools of though agree which should be taken as canon and which are the strongest/weakest.

Prometheus · 08-28-2007, 04:14 PM

Is there some mad stuff in the Q'ran though like the christian bibles?

Linzyhop · 08-30-2007, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by W.J. Wilczek

The King James Bible is a masterpiece of English literature; which is a tribute to those who wrote it. The English translation of the Bible by William Tyndale was revised (rewritten) and edited by several committees of scholars under the direction of Francis Bacon while serving as Solicitor General to King James I. (The insertion of the word "Authorized" to the title in later editions did not add to its authenticity.) Bacon was the greatest intellect of his time - a man of extraordinary genius, talent and ability. Beside his contributions to the revision of the English Bible, stand his writings on science, history, law, philosophy, and literature. There is even considerable scholastic authority that would attribute the works of Shakespeare to his hand. Indeed, one can confidently say that the King James Bible (1611) is the greatest book in the English language because Francis Bacon made it so.

um, masterpiece? don't think so. considering how the translations from the ancient texts were bastardized to make bestiality into sex with anything other than a vagina... or old wise women into witches that copulate with Satan...

yeah, what a great masterpiece.

Dylith · 08-31-2007, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Is there some mad stuff in the Q'ran though like the christian bibles?

Many of the books of the Bible are considered holy texts in Islam as well. The Gospels, the Torah and the Psalms.

While they are considered to be holy and should be followed, it is also believed that the ones we now have have experienced a lot of corruption as they passed down from generation to generation and have been changed and translated and so on (one of the reasons why many Muslims will say that the only true Qur'an is one that is written in Arabic). So to answer your question; yes and no.

In the Qur'an there is talk of war (several historical battles are talked about) and the rules of war are put forth.

There is also the "beware of hellfire" and "non-believers will suffer in Hell" passages as well.

You'll have to be a little more about what you mean when you say "mad stuff" for me to better answer the question.

Prometheus · 08-31-2007, 02:49 PM

I thought americans re-wrote stuff with the mormons and the jehovahs and their mad insights?

Dylith · 09-01-2007, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I thought americans re-wrote stuff with the mormons and the jehovahs and their mad insights?

Mormons have other holy texts in addition to the Bible, it is called the Book of Mormon and was translated via a seer stone in a hat by a 16 year old boy. I'm not the best person to talk to about Mormonism though as I clearly have a bias against it.

As for Jehovah's Witnesses they use the Bible. They have one where they translated God's name differently. Aside from that they hold beliefs that many Christians do (such as Jesus and the Archangel being the same person). While they are different, I rather like them even if I do not agree with all of their interpretations. While they may be bothersome when they go door to door, they seem to be better educated in their beliefs than many other Christian denomitations (on average). I liekd being able to talk to anyone in the church about JW beliefs and recieving answers that they were perfectly ready to back up with scripture.

I attended a JW church for a while so that I could learn more about them. While there was a certain pressure placed upon me to join the church, I did enjoy how they had the church service structured. Instead of repeating creeds and prayers and listening while a minister reads a Bible passage and does a sermon, The JW church that I went to was very interactive (The congregation would each take turns doing sermons) and focused much more on scriptural education instead of repititious prayer.

While there was still some singing and a couple of prayers I felt that it was what a church service should be like regardless of denomination.

Prometheus · 09-02-2007, 01:41 PM

I debated for years with a JW chap I used to work with. Me using an athiest approach and the JW, a sort of part time minister of his local mission, bebunking any science used against genesis, time after time.

He certainly put his points across after endless discussions in a level headed and informative way, and after thinking he was nuts at first, the bloke was pretty cool and stuck to what he believed in, no matter what angle I came up with.