How do you explain differences in Bible scriptures?

[Uhura]

Even in the scriptures that aren't JST, some don't match the scripture in the Bible that other religions use.

What is a good way to explain if asked why?

Edited September 2, 2012 by Uhura

[skalenfehl]

Watered down/diluted translations/interpretations.

[Dr T]

I'd say, "Do some research about what the best scholarly reading is to figure out what it ought to be. It must agree with the rest of the Bible for me to use it. Hermeneutics are important to me. I am not LDS though."

Edited September 2, 2012 by Dr T
fixed due to "reading"

[prisonchaplain]

There are scholarly books dedicated to answering questions about alleged discrepancies in the Bible. Sometimes it is a matter of different perspectives and emphases (especially between Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

Example: Amazon.com: Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning (9781433529993): Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, Thomas R. Schreiner, J. I. Packer, John Piper, R. Kent Hughes, Leland Ryken, Vern Sheridan Poythress,#_

I am not LDS either, but I have to believe that there are similar answers available in places like FAIRLDS and FARMS. Often these sources have the intellectual support of BYU professors.

Example 1: Mormonism and the Bible/Basics - FAIRMormon

Example 2: Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion - Marvin Folsom - FARMS Review - Volume 4 - Issue 1

Edited September 2, 2012 by prisonchaplain

[NightSG]

Watered down/diluted translations/interpretations.

Explain Philippians 4:6 then. The KJV has pretty much the worst translation IMO. (And that's saying a lot, since I personally love the KJV's style over almost all the others. It just feels more like real scripture in most cases, but the difference in connotation between "anxious" and "careful," at least in modern usage, is just too much to easily overlook in one of my favorite passages.)

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Now, I can't read Greek, but it looks like the Greek word "merimnate" is also used in four other places. (Matt 6, v25 & 28 and Luke 12, v 22 and 26) In all of those others, KJV parses it as "take no thought," which, in context, connotes worry or anxiousness, not carefulness as we would use the word today.

ETA FWIW, Online Parallel Bible: Weaving God's Word into the Web is great for pulling up a single verse in several versions if you just can't make sense of it in the one you're reading. It also adds the handy functionality I used to find the Greek word and look for other references to it. Very handy for those times you feel like you need to understand a verse a bit more, or just need an obscure fact to sound a lot more knowledgeable in your sacrament meeting talk.

Edited September 3, 2012 by NightSG

[RipplecutBuddha]

How about that...four posts and the thread is already beyond the horizon of my field of knowledge.....

[skalenfehl]

This topic may be of some help:

http://www.lds.net/forums/christian-beliefs-board/10957-most-correct-bible.html

[Traveler]

Even in the scriptures that aren't JST, some don't match the scripture in the Bible that other religions use.

What is a good way to explain if asked why?

I explain that considering the fact that man created the Bible on their own without commandment from G-d - thus that the Bible is the works of man and not G-d and that with that understanding the Bible is actually a remarkable and useful effort by mankind.

For me the Bible is a powerful witness and inspired means to prepare an honest seeker of truth for revelations of the restoration and for the eventual and enviable return of Christ.

The Traveler

[SisterSarah]

I have given this much though over a long period of time and my take is a little different.

Such an enormous amount of time and energy has been placed on picking scriptures apart and trying to get the "right" interpretation and disecting all the little discrepancies regarding the interpretations.

I think of all the wars, how many people were killed, how many suffer, how many lose faith, how many despair all because they are so frantic over interpretations and discrepancies.

The "peace that passes all understanding" and the testimony of faith and that feeling of being close to our loving Heavenly Father creator God, is not found in the symantics of any book including scriptures. It is not found in trying to interpret from Aramic to Hebrew to Greek to King James English, to determine what interpretation of language, word useage is "right."

Nor is any of this useful if it is for the purpose of debating who is right and who is wrong on issues of liturgy, religious social customs, becoming authoritive or self righteous on assuming to know what the exact meaning and truth is.

Instead one must read and study scriptures and pray. And through a pure heart and pure love for our Heavenly Father we learn of his love and his guidance for us to live in happiness and peace and know the fullness of joy.

It really is that simply but it is not an easy task because as humans with free agency we seem to need to be "right" or in control. It is just about God's love for us and our love and trust of him and our desire to serve him through serving each other. I think this is time better spent than in debating each other over who is "right."

Sarah :)

[jayanna]

Even in the scriptures that aren't JST, some don't match the scripture in the Bible that other religions use.

What is a good way to explain if asked why?

I have found that while we use the most common translation of the Bible, that being the King James version, a lot of other religions use other translations...some use a 'New International' version, some a 'New King James' verson, some use a 'teen' Bible that I've seen and even a 'children's Bible' . There is a Messianic Bible, and many, many more.

There is a JST of several Bible passages...but the Bible that I purchased through the church library is the King James verson of the Bible with JST in the footnotes and in the Bible dictionary and references in the back.

When someone says to you that their Bible says something else, reply that you are using the King James version, and they will probably know what you are talking about since most of the other ones are quite a bit more recent translations.

[SteveVH]

The words of scripture convey a truth. Sometimes this truth is given from a different perspective and written for a different audience, therefore some things are stressed when writing to a Jewish audience as opposed to a gentile audience. We can either trust that the scriptures are the word of God or not. If they are the word of God then they all convey truth.