Detour, Part 1 - "Preamble"
I have challenged someone in regard to his faith. My challenge was not gentle. It was not in the spirit of honest debate. It was with anger, and a desire to smash his faith. My challenge has since been accepted and my opponent has challenged my own faith in return. His objections aren't new; I've encountered them before, as have countless others throughout the centuries. Some were better equipped to answer the challenge, others were not. Where I fit in remains to be seen.
As I have a lot on my plate as it is at present, I can't, in good conscience, rattle off another poorly motivated response. Realizing this, I had to step back and reflect on why I felt the need to challenge a Muslim in the first place. Further, I had to decide how to approach the challenge.
I could just brush it off and allow my opponent to feel vindicated in his belief, but that would do more damage than good; I would pay for it in the end, and that's a debt I'm not willing to levy upon myself unnecessarily. Jamal deserves a response. I've asked for patience and he's graciously allowed it.
I've spent some time in prayer and conversation with God; asking how I should begin, and the spirit in which I should present my case. I feel confident in the decision I've made and this preamble, as it were, is to lay out the case for my decision.
One: Jamal believes his faith as fervently and I do mine, and it's unlikely that anything I say will change his mind... The reverse is equally true; I will not be swayed.
Having established that...
Two: The Bible, as contained in the King James Version, 1611 edition is, to my belief, the inerrant Word of God. Quite frankly, it is superior to any and all modern translations.
Three: The proof of this is in the Word of God, and I feel no need to support my case via any other texts, except in the comparison of other translations, or anecdotally.
Four: God has ordered the Universe as He has seen fit, setting all things in motion at some time in the distant past. That order is expressed through the natural laws that govern this universe and this world. Everything harmonizes despite the fact that we comprehend but a fraction of these natural laws. Logic can be used to verify the these natural laws and the veracity of God's Word, but our lack of full comprehension will make our use of logic difficult at times... Which is where faith comes into play.
Five: I do not feel compelled to answer point for point Jamal's question/objection(s); that leads to a tit-for-tat game of gotcha, which solves nothing, and only embitters us both toward each other. What I get from God on this is: Answer only the question of whether or not the Bible, as described in point Two, contains the inerrant Word of God. Establish this and everything else becomes moot.
Ultimately it comes down to faith. But it has come to my attention that my job, as I've stated on Jamal's own site, is not to convert (although that is desired result). Instead, the goal is lead him and whomever may read what follows to Christ. I've heard it articulated this way:
In closing, I believe the veracity of the Bible can be proved through the Bible alone. If I point to history, or scientific fact, or anecdotal evidence, it will only be to illustrate, not to verify, a point.
It is my prayer that any and all who read what follows will see the door, and escape the flames.
Next:
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Previously:
Warning: Detour Ahead
As I have a lot on my plate as it is at present, I can't, in good conscience, rattle off another poorly motivated response. Realizing this, I had to step back and reflect on why I felt the need to challenge a Muslim in the first place. Further, I had to decide how to approach the challenge.
I could just brush it off and allow my opponent to feel vindicated in his belief, but that would do more damage than good; I would pay for it in the end, and that's a debt I'm not willing to levy upon myself unnecessarily. Jamal deserves a response. I've asked for patience and he's graciously allowed it.
I've spent some time in prayer and conversation with God; asking how I should begin, and the spirit in which I should present my case. I feel confident in the decision I've made and this preamble, as it were, is to lay out the case for my decision.
One: Jamal believes his faith as fervently and I do mine, and it's unlikely that anything I say will change his mind... The reverse is equally true; I will not be swayed.
Having established that...
Two: The Bible, as contained in the King James Version, 1611 edition is, to my belief, the inerrant Word of God. Quite frankly, it is superior to any and all modern translations.
Three: The proof of this is in the Word of God, and I feel no need to support my case via any other texts, except in the comparison of other translations, or anecdotally.
Four: God has ordered the Universe as He has seen fit, setting all things in motion at some time in the distant past. That order is expressed through the natural laws that govern this universe and this world. Everything harmonizes despite the fact that we comprehend but a fraction of these natural laws. Logic can be used to verify the these natural laws and the veracity of God's Word, but our lack of full comprehension will make our use of logic difficult at times... Which is where faith comes into play.
Five: I do not feel compelled to answer point for point Jamal's question/objection(s); that leads to a tit-for-tat game of gotcha, which solves nothing, and only embitters us both toward each other. What I get from God on this is: Answer only the question of whether or not the Bible, as described in point Two, contains the inerrant Word of God. Establish this and everything else becomes moot.
Ultimately it comes down to faith. But it has come to my attention that my job, as I've stated on Jamal's own site, is not to convert (although that is desired result). Instead, the goal is lead him and whomever may read what follows to Christ. I've heard it articulated this way:
"How many of the people I've witnessed to have I led to Christ?"As a volunteer fireman in a world burning down around us, it is my one and only job to point everyone I find to the door. Whether or not anyone uses that door is their decision. I hope they will. I pray they will. I'll beg them to flee this burning house... But they have to chose to flee the flames.
Answer: "All of them."
In closing, I believe the veracity of the Bible can be proved through the Bible alone. If I point to history, or scientific fact, or anecdotal evidence, it will only be to illustrate, not to verify, a point.
It is my prayer that any and all who read what follows will see the door, and escape the flames.
Next:
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Previously:
Warning: Detour Ahead
from the mind of... Eric | 5:57 PM
4 Comments:
I'm with ya 98% of the way, but honestly curious: why the 1611 KJV in English as opposed to say, the original Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic scripts? (Other than the fact that it takes a lot of work to learn those languages and their nuances.)
The originals would be preferable if the originals were available for study, and I could actually read Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Since my first choice is, quite simply, impossible, the King James presents the best "English" translation available today... a point I will demonstrate shortly.
Thanks for reading.
The King James version is itself a translation from the original Koinae Greek, and many more modern versions translated in today's english are too. The King James version was translated into the language of the day, and in that way, it is no more superior to many of today's versions that were also translated directly from the original Greek, than they are.
It is my position that the Bible is the Word of God, and as such, He would not allow His Word to be mistranslated to the point that it would mislead people away from his basic message, save for their own misinterpretation.
It is my intent with what follows to smash that perception. All translations are not equal.
Also, if Man were not capable of tampering/altering the doctrine contained within the bible, why would God have bothered to warn us all against doing just that? Rev 22:18-19
I don't suggest that God cannot use the NIV in the hands of an unsaved person to convict and bring about repentance, but doctrinally, the NIV is dangerously watered down.
I'll post the how's and why's of all this, as outlined in my roadmap, as I complete them. I'm deliberately choosing to go slow on this... it's more important to be accurate than expedient.
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