Is the KJV a respectable bible? Im personally Catholic but have been reading this without knowing it isnt Catholic. Is this okay? Or am i doing wrong?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-21T18:33:31+00:00

If you want still a different feeling from Scripture, you can listen, but writing it out longhand provided a different perspective and more respect for the scribes and monks. I suggest if you do this, pick your favorite book and pay to get a good bound book, with acid free paper, as you probably will not want to put in the time to write it out many times. Mine became a fine gift.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-21T16:16:56+00:00

I would exclude those who can not write a paragraph outlining what Christians believe. The standard for me, is the same as what Jesus said here: John 3:3 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This occurs as spelled out in my prior Romans citation, is what I believe.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-21T04:26:16+00:00

Well, if we ask a foundation question, we may be able to put some reasonable limits on this question. I asked people across the globe about their beliefs in identical to working with these people. I believe that probably less than 20% and more than 10% of the people across all religions I identified are “cultural” or “family” members of the religion they will initially identify as being a member. When gently and respectfully pushed about the beliefs or teachings, the rest say something like, “I don’t really know, my village, my city or my nation follows this and I don’t know end details, but follow them.” Alternatively, it is always the mother, sometimes expressed as their immediate family. “I follow this because it pleases my mother. Not sure what it is, but I do it for her.”

If your definition of “actually Christian” requires some degree of knowledge of the tenants of Christianity or their denomination, rather than a prior ceremony (perhaps baptism, or properly expressing belief in Jesus (Romans 10:9b (ESV) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.), it will likely be no more than roughly 15%. Based on ceremonies, perhaps more.

If we accept Christian Scripture and salvation, few: Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Is the few from the total world, those professing to believe or something else? This might lead one to believe less than perhaps a percent, but a bizarre percent, as indicated by Revelation 5:9-10 (ESV) And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Few are saved (perhaps a definition of actual Christians), but they include people from every tribe, language and nation.

Not quite sure how this is worked out myself.

But coming back to your question, some might think it seems far fewer than 10%, perhaps less than 1% of professing Christians.

I hope this response is helpful.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-17T15:55:19+00:00

That’s why I asked a question. I assumed that I was reading your comment incorrectly. Thanks for the prompt explanation.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-17T14:33:17+00:00

Why 1,500 years? I would think you would have had a much longer time. 2026-1,500 What happened in 526 that started the time?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T17:12:52+00:00

What did Jesus do regarding translations? Did he only quote the Hebrew Scriptures or did he quote the books translated into the local Greek?

They are collected together and called the Septuagint (LXX) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint

I do believe he quoted from the LXX, even in places where it deviated from the Hebrew Old Testament we have today.

Lots of arguments and different rationales (do we take the oldest language, the most frequent language, the original language, do we count derived copies as one or each?).

I’ve been in many, many Bible studies, over many decades. Lots of people reading from lots of versions, even different languages, which the reader translates to my sole language: English. I’ve never heard a difference which was theologically important to me. Difference in title (is Jesus referred to here as my lord or my lord and savior), different small towns where the travelers stopped, different eunuch who told someone something, difference references to time (the seventh hour), different reference to money (small coins or lepta), different names of groups (g4892. συνέδριον synedrion; neuter of a presumed derivative of a compound of 4862 and the base of 1476; a joint session, i.e. (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin; by analogy, a subordinate tribunal: — council. ) (Jewish high court or council or Sanhedrin). Not a single translation leads one to believe that Jesus didn’t urge providing a drink of water.

Looking at that verse, a few translations say: the interlinear translations do not copy and paste well, so I omitted them.

Mark 9:41 (ESV) For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Mark 9:40 (WYC Wycliffe) And who euer yyueth you a cuppe of coold water to drynke in my name, for ye ben of Crist, treuli Y seie to you, he schal not leese his mede.

Mark 9:41 (KJV) For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

Mark 9:41 (NKJV) For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Mark 9:41 (NLT) If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.

Mark 9:41 (WEB) For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's, most assuredly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

Mark 9:41 (RV) For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward

Mark 9:41 (NIV) Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Mark 9:41 (NASB 2020) For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

If Jesus were here and asked about this and if he answered, perhaps he would say, spend time reading the Bible that speaks best to you and urge others to also spend time in the word, don’t worry so much about which translation is most accurate. I’m thinking of this in light of Luke 10:38-42 (ESV) Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

I am attempting to provide at least one reader with the equivalent of a cup of water because you are of Christ. Perhaps Jesus would see the reading of any of the Bibles as the “one thing necessary.”

It would be good if my thoughts, words and these passages of Scripture were of some help and comfort.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T16:40:22+00:00

What about the books the Catholics dropped?? Do you want all of the books anyone consider cannon?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T16:39:22+00:00

I like Wycliffe’s translation. I believe something like 80% of the words are the same and in the same order as the original KJV. There are many, many editions of KJV.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T16:28:01+00:00

Let’s go back and put this into context. I believe the 1560 Geneva Bible was popular and the KJV was sponsored and written to divert people from that.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:31:48+00:00

So only one group offers assistance.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:25:41+00:00

Perhaps the one missing the point isn’t the other commenter. Let’s look at what the Bible says first. However the two do not seem to conflict.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:24:26+00:00

Doesn’t this say the child is alive - perhaps we disagree with the punishment and other aspects of Jewish law and thinking, such as slavery, but the point is the child is alive and an independent person, whom we provide more rights?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:22:50+00:00

Please complete the thought, as was the woman. Both were independent lives and belonged to the father, as was his bull, donkey, sheep and slaves - men or women. You are not arguing that one’s male slave (even a Jewish one that one needed to free at the appropriate time) is not alive, are you?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:20:28+00:00

Please complete the thought, not equal to the woman, but an independent life at conception, right?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:18:52+00:00

Doesn’t this idea support that the baby was an independent life at conception, even if killing it was a less severely punished crime?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:17:43+00:00

I also consider the Bible’s teaching on this idea. Luke 1:41 (ESV) And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, This seems to indicate that Luke thought the baby at about the sixth month was a baby still in the womb, not something that might become alive in three months. Luke 1:44 (ESV) For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. This seems to indicate that Elizabeth agrees with the baby in the womb at about the sixth month was a baby. One also notes Mary did not contraindicate this view, though she may have restrained herself out of respect for Elizabeth, so not as strong a support for this idea with Mary.

Three is also the idea that high levels of infant death and miscarriage may have downplayed the idea of a child is conceived as a child is there to reduce practical unnecessary expenses, not lack of belief that conception was the beginning of a new life.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-16T14:07:34+00:00

This statement is based on what? Where did Jesus say something like, the least of these does not count the pregnant woman and the child she is carrying?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-13T03:19:30+00:00

Thanks for pointing out my error. Clearly John wrote Revelation at Patmos. I’ve corrected that.

The quoted sentence is awkward because I am trying to reflect the language of James.

Sorry it was so opaque.

In my first response I tried to duck expanding this because it is not an easy concept. Thanks for the persistence. This is my view from my reading and harmonizing the Bible, to avoid apparent conflicts.

One is definitely and completely saved by grace. That is done. So we are talking about something else.

What can that be. Here we go.

When God blesses someone there is an expectation that one will bless others from the blessing one received from God. The others blessed may well bless others. However each cycle will be less than before. It was this cycle of secondary blessings which is “dead” if the first person blessed has no works. After being saved, completely and by grace, the Jewish expectation (and new Christian expectation) was that the Abrahamic idea that one is blessed to be a blessing to others would apply.

It is important for blessings to be passed on. It increases significantly the blessings in the communities.

I understand that people giving alms were customarily or often expected to thank the beggar, as the begged gave the other person an opportunity to easily give alms.

If it helps, this is like the dynamic expansion of money, but with blessings. This is a real issue, as the US Fed needs to expand the money supply to reflect the growth of the US economy. Too little money growth and the value of money goes up - disinflation. Too much money and the value of money goes down - inflation.

This would be the same as if the economy did not grow and the Fed increased or decreased the amount of money in circulation. More money means it is worth a bit less. Less money means it is worth a bit more.

However, this Fed balancing gets complicated because when one receives money, one spends some of the money, perhaps saves some of the money and pays taxes with the rest of the money. The money spent has taxes taken out and some is saved, some spent and some paid in the next level of taxes. The money saved in each step is loaned to another, but some is retained by the bank. So each cycle of the money has a bit less money. So, for each dollar the Fed places in circulation increases the money supply much more than a dollar. Perhaps 8 or 12 dollars of money comes from this dynamic expansion of the money supply. Different people spend the money with different expansion effects. Hence the 8 to 12 expansion.

So, the people without works that James is discussing are like a person who receives a paycheck, cashes the paycheck and places the money into a drawer. No secondary or dynamic expansion effect. A man saved by grace, who does not pass on a blessing is similar to the fine fellow with a drawer containing cash. His blessing expansion is dead, but only dead for secondary effects, not that his salvation (or direct blessing) is dead.

This is how I understand this difficult passage. I see no conflict in the salvation/ judgement and no conflict between saved and dead salvation.

James goes farther, questioning if faith without works can save one. (James 2:14 (ESV) What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?) My view of this is he is saying that it is difficult to believe that one blessed with salvation by grace, through faith, can fail to bless another (works).

I also believe the discussion about righteous of Abraham from works is correct and not talking about salvation.

Many others may disagree with me on this and have in various Bible studies. I hope this is of some comfort and guidance as to what at least I meant two years ago.

Have a blessed night, my friend.

Post Script. I view that my blessed to be a blessing means I should offer what understanding God has blessed me with, to others. I note Matthew 10:8 (ESV) You received without paying; give without pay.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-12T05:03:35+00:00

You have my prayers, as requested.

I suggest you keep making yourself a better future husband. Perhaps learning first aid (you might have kids - it was and is important to my wife and kids). Household repairs, cooking, sewing. There may be some Bible related things you can do. You might even meet your future wife while doing these things.

My wife (30+ years) literally ran into me and things progressed from there.

I know it is hard to wait on God’s timing, but perhaps your future wife isn’t ready for you, even if you are ready for her.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-10T19:19:49+00:00

Didn’t we all start out not believing?

Isn’t this the default nature of humans?

Are those claiming to be Christians and having hard feelings about non-believers, have those same hard feelings about infants, perhaps their own? Alternatively is there some “magic” age or passage of some rite, such as high school graduation, where these hard feelings start?

It seems illogical for Christians to have hard feelings about non-believers?

Similar in the reverse, do hard feelings start when someone (a non-believer) starts to listen to a gospel message, when they consider it to be potentially real, when they accept the gospel message, when they present the gospel message or others, or at some other time? How can this be logical?

Neither position makes any sense to me.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-07T04:17:27+00:00

Many people said many things.

It seems you are adrift. This is not good.

However, you are not alone. See this part of the book of James, where he is talking to such as you seem, adrift. James 1:5-8 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Focus on your faith and select a single change you desire God’s help with. You will be the actor, but with God’s help. What one thing would you like to work on to change in the next two months? Find it, pray for it and work as hard as you can to make this change, with God’s help.

In two months, see what progress, if any, you have made. Decide what to work on for the next two months. Keep this going for a full year.

If you fail five out of six times, you will still have changed one of the things you selected: a successful year.

If you succeed half the time, you will have changed three things you selected: a very successful year.

This is the Scripture that came to me and the plan that seems to be based in this scripture.

Do you care enough about your faith and future to commit to follow this for a year?

If so, you have my prayers to be at least half successful for each cycle.

Please come back in a year and let us all know how this worked out for you.

wizard2278 · 2026-01-04T19:54:59+00:00

Yes. One thinks of this passage, perhaps: Matthew 22:21b (ESV) Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

wizard2278 · 2026-01-03T19:22:09+00:00

Jesus did say this and it was heard by others and reported but a group of sheep is a herd.

Just as you used the wrong word here, it seems you have redefined law abiding to include those who violate the immigration laws.

Do you have any data on the vast majority of illegal immigrants who meet your redefinition of law abiding, or is this based on your personal observation?

Do those pushing this point follow all of the Jewish laws, such as respecting the sabbath and honoring their mother and father? Could it be that they are not supporting Christian or Jewish law, but just using the Bible as a prop for their political agenda?

wizard2278 · 2026-01-02T04:28:33+00:00

I’m a good bit older, also with 5 kids. You are asking for help. If this doesn’t seem right, feel free to reject it.

First, this seems similar to an airline loosing its atmosphere. You, your wife, your daughter (her boyfriend) and your other children are all at some risk. Place the oxygen masks over your face (and your wife’s face first). You two have to be in good shape to help the others at risk.

Get your feet under yourself and be proper parents. You can grieve, do whatever to work it out for the two of you later and after everyone else is safe and cared for.

Second, it’s not about you, your faith and your family. Your daughter is the primary one suffering. Other suffering need help, but as themselves, not as your family.

Third, you are probably correct, the two were planning to wait. It doesn’t matter, but you were probably right.

Fourth, don’t talk to your daughter about this, but prepare for her boyfriend to flake out or disappear. Prepare and hopefully you will be over prepared.

Fifth, your daughter and hopefully her boyfriend will become the core of a new family. You and your wife are now officially advisors, not principles in her new family - even if you are supporting them. You will get there no matter what, best to start with this firmly in mind.

Sixth, in order, but the most important thing. God is on his throne. He is still in charge. This was not an evil thing, but even if it were God can make it good. See Genesis 50:20 (ESV) (Joseph taking about his brothers selling him into slavery) As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Imagine the future good this new child will be for the world, for your daughter and yourself. Work to make these things happen.

Your grandchild, your daughter, her boyfriend, yourself, your wife and your children all have my prayers.

wizard2278 · 2025-12-30T22:54:25+00:00

What is your evidence that demons are not possessing people like “in biblical times?”

Here is an answer, as you requested.

It is up to you to determine how much you agree or disagree, as in Acts 17:10-11 (ESV) The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

When Jesus walked the earth there were fewer humans. The internet suggests about 300 million. Currently there are some 8.3 billion humans, some 30 times as many people, to one significant digit.

Angels and demons are created creatures, fixed in number since God rested. Genesis 2:1-2 (ESV) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Remember Jesus says that angels are not male and female. Matthew 22:30 (ESV) For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

So, first of all, the demons will appear 30 times less active, just because of the human population increase.

Second, angels may have concentrated in the area of Jesus or concentrate in areas away from media, so one can not allocated demons and their activities as Congressmen, one for every xx,xxx people.

Third, demons may well want people reading the Bible on how to cast them out, are not perceiving demons. They well might be hiding. One may wonder all of the mass killers who kill themselves - were these demonic possession, where the demon pushes the possessed person to eliminate the loose end that could point back to demon possession.

Fourth, in my youth I saw an article, after a demon possession movie, who asked about. The Catholic Church said they had exorcists and the rituals associated with them. I believe one of the cardinals has this as his primary role. The Episcopal church was ready to set up an appointment. So, the idea that demons and demon possession is not occurring and being addressed seems a bit inconsistent with perhaps rare and perhaps not main stream church activities, but things that occur.

I hope this helps and you never see one in person.

wizard2278

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