Serious Question for Christians?

You have proposed a very honest question. :)

First, I must state that the Authorized King James Bible is the truest to the original Greek and Hebrew translation. An important part of any true believer's testimony is to be obedient to God and study His Word as He commanded:

"STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman

that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

-2 Timothy 2:15

Studying the Bible, entails more than just reading, it means seeking to understand the true meaning of every word in its context and how it can be reconciled to every other verse in the Bible pertaining to the same subject matter. This is accomplished by using a good Bible concordance such as Strong's. This is how one begins to learn Hebrew and Greek words, pronunciation and translation from the original languages. It's a long, slow process, but the rewards are well worth the effort! And most of all it pleases God!

Just starting out? Begin to simply read the Bible at first, and ask God for wisdom and understanding:

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore GET WISDOM: and with all thy getting GET UNDERSTANDING."

-Proverbs 4:7

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM."

-Hebrews 11:6

Very good question, one that every Christian should ask themselves. I have a Greek and Hebrew Concordance which I use to find the original words. I have learned a lot of things that mainstream Christians don't believe in because of this. For instance, interpreting the 3 translations of the word "hell" results in understanding that there is no eternal torment. It translates into the "grave" and also "Gehenna," the burning trash heap outside Jerusalem. Also, there are so many different protestant Bibles (New King James, New American Standard, Amplified, etc.) and that just shows you how important it is to think and study for yourself, rather than just blindly trusting one interpretation.

Because I don't believe all copies of the Bible in my native language are "agenda driven". I don't know much Hebrew, but I have studied it some and what I have studied translates to English in the Bible pretty well. Also, it's not just a matter of reading the Bible, it's a matter of being guided by the Holy Spirit, which helps you to know God and understand His word. If you're misinterpreting a verse, as long as you make an effort to seek out the truth and not just your personal opinion, I believe the Holy Spirit will guide you towards the correct answer.

My step-father is from Greece and he also speaks, reads, and writes in Latin and Hebrew as well. Trust me when I tell you that there is remarkable similarities between the texts, and any time I need or want to know anything that any of the translations say, all I have to do do is ask pops and he translates for me.

Additionally, there are word-for-word translations available so it's not like Christians are somehow missing out on anything in terms of not being able to speak or read in any of those tongues.

Oh, and - Aramaic is a dead language not spoken anywhere in the world that I'm aware of, so implying that a Christian somehow isn't a Christian for not speaking or reading a dead language really misses the point of your own question.

I have studied the original Hebrew and Greek and so have many others. The King James version of the bible with Strong's concordance has the original Hebrew and Greek word's that were used. This bible software enables me to cursor over the number that is positioned just to the right of the word that it is attached to and it gives the Hebrew or Greek words and meaning. You make a valid point though. Some translations are better than others for accuracy. I use the New King James version since it is more of modern english and quite accurate. Read this.Romans 3:1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Romans 3:2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. There are many Jews who can read Hebrew. Check out this link: http://www.njop.org/html/rhapress2.htm

The jews are still God's people even though many rejected Christ (who was a Jew) at his first coming. Christ will return and he will fight for his people. Read Zechariah 14:1-9.

The answer to your question is found here in this scripture.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Mat 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

Mat 7:23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Mat 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: Mat 7:25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. There are many false teachers out there today professing to be christians and are not ! Guess what ? Christ just said in the verses above that he will reject them. You want to select a church that really follows and lives by the bible so that means you better do your home work and study it closely so you will know if they are really following it or not. One final point to remember is this: the jews to whom God committed his oracles to keep the Saturday Sabbath. Christ and Paul both kept the Saturday Sabbath.

Well the Bibles were translated from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek just so the people who read the Bible will understand what the people in the text is saying. And we were not acquired to read the Bible in these original languages because these languages never were learned by most of the inhabitants.

That's what our Theologians are for, to teach us the proper interpretation of the Bible's meaning and to explain the historical meanings and values of the language spoken in their time and how their culture impacted the way they lived. Don't you have Theologians? I'm a Christian because I was taught the Bible in church by the priest and theologians and I believe in Jesus Christ.

Edit: You've completely missed my point. Whichever interpretation Theologians and priests of all Christian faiths agree on is the correct one. Whatever is not agreed upon, we know enough to get the point. Anyway, you don't want an answer. You just want to argue with everyone for having an answer.

I call myself a Christian because I have been saved by grace through faith.

Oh, and I have studied Greek and I use a lexicon when I study the Bible... and guess what. Bibles that we buy at the store are so close to the the original texts, that to be a scholar in Greek or Hebrew is not necessary... nice try though.

They only need it because something is lacking in their lives.

The don't even study the Bible, they recite it.

To study something is also to raise questions about it, they're not interested in the historical accuracy of the Bible or willing to think about it in a logical way.

To apply this sort of discipline to the Bible for them is to question why they need it in the first place.

Just look at the way they try to hide behind it when answering questions on R&S.

They don't answer questions they just pathetically hurl Bible quotes at you that are sometimes completely out of context and then they ask for respect.

The most basic floor in their argument is that they use the Bible to try to prove the Bible.

Ever heard of anything so absurd as this as a means for finding the truth?

The Bible must be true simply because I can't afford to believe otherwise.

Essentially I totally agree with you that the correct translation of words is absolutely critical to understanding anything.

Do you own anything made in China or Japan? Speak those languages do you?

Most of us know the FACT that Bible translation has been nothing short of remarkably accurate to the original writings. I am not seeing much of an argument or point here at all.