In Reply to: Re: About the KJV posted by Bryon on March 18, 2003 at 22:05:07:
I really do not believe the KJV was uniquely inspired by God. Byron, surely you are aware that it was an update of the Geneva Bible which is why it says in the original preface that it was "diligently compared" to former translations.
The key to the KJV's success was the decision of the translators to stick to literal word for word translations, even at the expense of clarity. But now clarity has become such an issue that it is almost hopelessly outdated.
You are aware, are you not, that almost every major and minor Christian CULT insists on using the KJV and spurns new translations -- from the COG to the LDS, to lots of splinter cults. Why do you think that is? Because the KJV is SO unclear that there is room to say it means whatever you want it to say.
Again and again KJV-promoters refer to some vague "divine anointing" on the KJV translation, something the original translators had the humility to not claim. Berg even claimed that one proof that the KJV translation was faithful was because (bless them) in those days the church burned heretics at the stake!
I'm not saying there aren't errors in other more liberal "phrase by phrase" translations. I'm just saying all this KJV hype is getting shriller and shriller as people try to defend a dying language.