My dear Lady deadsidedemon:
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If you people wish to continue this discussions then by all means let's keep it going.
If you want to nit pick into words we can do that. Please keep in mind there are many versions of the Bible, which use different words.
Sorry for the "slow" rebuttal. I did not realize this thread was so hot. I've been too busy working/playing FFXI/Christmas shopping to keep a close eye on it, so this particular sub-topic may have been considered closed, and I apologize if I am raising the dead.
I will attempt to choose my words careful, seeing as though people seem to be quick to take offense in forums.
While you spent time researching for your response, I find it amusing that you quote Bibles from Internet sources. This particular piece of printed literature is the most common in circulation. Why not grab the Bible off your shelf? I assume you own one, considering that you are a recovering Christian.
But then again, I guess that is the easiest way to make available your resources, rather than have readers try to find the particular version of the Bible you used. Click on your link (thank you for that), and viola!, there it is. Also, it's not as though this is a research paper. But, I digress...
Anyway, I did a little Internet surfing of my own (ironic, no?), and came across this little piece:
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The Hebrew word "ratsach" is translated as "kill" in the King James Version, Revised Standard Version, American Standard Version, and some other translations of the Bible. However, it is difficult to apply this in practice. Killing chickens and beef cattle is legal now as it was in biblical times. Nobody today is concerned about pulling vegetables from the garden, even though it kills them. The word "ratsach" is commonly believed to describe the premeditated killing of a human. It requires that the victim be a human being. Many other translations translate "ratsach" as "murder" in this verse.
"The Ten Commandments (A.K.A. The Decalogue)" http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10c9.htm
I want to clear up that the intent of my first post was not to nit-pick, but that semantics (meaning) and syntax (order) are important.
God spoke His Word to man, so that he may write it down. Man is fallible. Fallible ingredients create fallible products. Therefore, the Bible is fallible.
Think of it this way. No matter how good the copying machine, a copy is never perfect. The colors and tones may be just a little off; there may be some stray marks that weren't on the original; etc. A copy of a copy is even worse. The letters are even more faded. Images have become a little blurred. That's what the Bible is: a copy of a copy. The original was God's "spoken" Word. The first copy was the Bible, in Hebrew. And the copy of the copy is whatever Bible, in English, you now read. Some of the original meaning might have been lost in translation.
It is unfortunate that people take the Bible to be the complete and uncompromising Truth, when in fact it may be far from it. I do believe the Bible has value as a guide to acceptable social behavior. However, it should not be the case that people either believe it all or rebuke it all. It is what it is.
<edited for spelling>
Edited, Thu Dec 16 20:52:08 2004 by Taya