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Why Are Modern Translations So Deceiving & Not Based On Biblical Truth?
The problem is not God or the original scriptures but the perverted false translations of the texts into English based on an agenda, not the original scripture texts.

The NIV is one example of this perversion of "Gods word". Bill, co-founder of Liberated Christians when in seminary had two professors who were on the NIV committee. As with other translations, how to translate the texts into English was in very hot debate regarding some controversial issues.

The debate within the NIV committee was between translating based on traditional teachings vs a more literal (dynamic equivalency) translation limited to what was actually said as understood by the exact words in the culture it was written.

Since most of the NIV translators came from a traditional conservative background, the majority view resulted in a traditional vs more historically accurate English translation. To varying degrees this is also true of other English translations which reflect more a conservative agenda than a search for God s truth.

The original text should not be tampered with. That is why a serious student looks only to the original Hebrew/Greek texts seeking to understand what they meant to the culture in which they were written. You also have to realize the translation problems going from the words Jesus spoke in Aramaic (a very vague language) to the written Greek.

Many serious biblical scholars are revealing false traditional biblical teachings, especially regarding sexual issues which are based on Church dogma, not original scriptural texts.

One clear example of this is the NIV s false translation of Ex 21:22 where it tries to make a dead fetus a live birth to promote its anti-choice agenda by changing what scripture really said. The NIV authors were caught in their deception and in most texts there is a footnote correcting the life birth mistake. Some think it was an oversight, others think it was to promote the anti-choice agenda. Ex 21:22 clearly shows the non soul status of a fetus in the original texts and supported by Jewish tradition, Hebrew scholars and more honest translators.

The deception of the English translations, in some areas, is far more of an abomination and sin, for example in the area of homosexuality, than gays living their lives in love as God created them. Scripture never says a word about homosexuality the natural sexual orientation, only about the terrible unnatural acts of pederasty. The false teachings of heterosexual sexual repression such as regarding polyamory and singles sexuality is another area having nothing to do with understanding the original texts, but based on a conservative Christian agenda...not the Bible's original text.

The Truth About Bible Translations
By Aaron Budjen, a translator with good insights
Source: Internet public post 07 October, 1996 on pnet.religion.talk

The worlds best seller for all time has also been one of the most influential books in the history of the world. As the most influential book, many people have been concerned about its accurate translation from the languages it was written in. Visiting any bookstore here in America you can easily find up to a dozen different translations into the English language. The question virtually everyone asks is why? Christians and non-Christians alike ask why there are different translations and which one can they trust to be accurate. After all, if they are correct, why are they not the same?

As a translator, I have found merits in all Bible translations. The Amplified Bible does a beautiful job of expressing the definitions of certain words. The NIV relates some passages well in today's common English. I have found few good passages in the New World Translation but I have managed to use it to show Jehovah's Witnesses the deity of Christ Jesus. With their merits they all have their shortcomings. The KJV neglects translating some words. The NKJV and NIV insert strong doctrinal biases in some places. The descriptions I wind up giving is that some translations do a fair job of translating one verse and others don't do a fair job with the same verse. Regrettably, there are some verses that are totally in error in all translations.

Every Bible translation I have read has translated one verse in Hebrew/Greek in to one verse in English. This is a reasonable method if the languages share a common level of expressiveness. The problem is that Greek and Hebrew are much more expressive than English. Therefore an exact translation is only possible if the translator is willing to break the mold of a one to one, verse by verse translation. There are some verses which can be translated this way, but most require a whole if not a composition in English to express the full meaning. Because of this challenge - all English translations I know of (presently in print and on the market) are more accurately called paraphrases.

Translating the Bible in to English is not where this controversy began. It began when the Jews were taken into captivity after the Babylonian invasion in 586 BC After being in a foreign country for a couple of generations the Jews adopted the language of the surrounding people and forgot the Hebrew language. Only the Rabbis and the students in the Synagogue knew Hebrew. The common people only knew Aramaic. The services and readings in the Synagogue were done in Hebrew. Therefore, the common Jews would seek someone to interpret for them during the services. The interpreter was called the Methurgeman, and many synagogues began to employ them. The Methurgemen was allowed to verbalize a, paraphrases of what was being said or read, but he was strictly forbidden to write it down. The reason for that was because the Rabbis were concerned that the translation, or paraphrase would be recognized as having equal authority as the original Hebrew. Some writings were still done in time and they became known as targums.

What the Rabbis and scribes were concerned about almost two and a half millenniums ago has happened today. In America, the English texts for sale in the bookstores are wrongly looked upon as having equal authority as the original Hebrew as well as the Greek of the New Testament. I will admit that the truth is revealed through them and the lives of people are changed by the power of God. However, the study of the original languages is neglected by virtually every Christian and Jew in America today because of the deception that what they are reading is accurate and with authority. In knowing the original languages you will know which verses that have been translated into English are accurate and have authority.

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