[Rev. Jim Osborne]

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Lately there's been a certain member of the forums spouting off verses in "The Message" paraphrasing of the Bible, instead of the Godly KJV 1611. I won't mention any names, but they are named after a hot tub.

Now, this person just loves to try and rebuke our arguments with "The Message", thinking that this version of the Bible proves us wrong. Well friends, I've been doing some research on this "Bible", and while it basically twists Scripture and is a mere paraphrase (sometimes inaccurate) of God's words, there are still some verses that even The Message concludes that the KJV is right all along. The following are verses with The Message and KJV 1611 compared to each other, so even the liberal hippies who read The Message have to concede that God is very clear on certain issues.

KJV: Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
The Message Lev 18:22 "Don't have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent."

Clearly in both versions God says that is wrong to engage in homosexuality. Abomination or abhorrent, both mean they are truly grevious sins in the eyes of God!

KJV: Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

TM: Lev 20:13 "If a man has sex with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is abhorrent. They must be put to death; they are responsible for their own deaths.

Even the liberal hippie version says homosexuality requires death! No beating around the bush on that!

KJV: Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

TM: Ex 22:18 "Don't let a sorceress live."

Both version say witches/sorceresses should be put to death.

KJV: Leviticus 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

TM: Lev 20:27 "A man or woman who is a medium or sorcerer among you must be put to death. You must kill them by stoning. They're responsible for their own deaths."

Mediums, sorcerers, magicians, wiccans, etc. should be put to death by stoning!

KJV: John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

TM: John 7:24 Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right."

This is very much a paraphrase, but even in the hippie version it does say we have a right to judge. Jesus is giving us authority to judge "discern" what is right.

KJV: Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

TM: Rom 1:26-27Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.

Again, homosexuality is displayed as a sin. They "refuse to know god", and aren't "even human either" according to The Message! And they pay for it by being empty of God. Hippie text confirms the KJV once again!

KJV: 1st Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

TM: 1 Cor 11:3-9In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of Christ, dishonors Christ. In the same way, a wife who speaks with God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of her husband, dishonors her husband. Worse, she dishonors herself—an ugly sight, like a woman with her head shaved. This is basically the origin of these customs we have of women wearing head coverings in worship, while men take their hats off. By these symbolic acts, men and women, who far too often butt heads with each other, submit their "heads" to the Head: God.

Even though the hippie Bible tries to clean it up some, there is no getting around the fact that men are superior to women and that wives must submit themselves to their husbands. Plain and simple.

KJV: 1st Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

TM: 1 Cor 14:34-35Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God's Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking.

While this heretical version completely tosses out the fact that Paul says "it is not permitted unto them to speak", but changes it into saying that they can't speak unless it's appropriate, it still makes it clear that women should be put in their place. Comparing the two versions, you really wonder how the author of the message came up with his stuff. Oh, I know...he inserted what he wanted in there!

KJV: Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

TM: Eph 5:22-24Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Another hippie paraphrase. Still, they can't whitewash the fact that women are subjugate to their husbands. No getting around this.

In conclusion, I've found that the Message has conceded to the KJV on a number of occasions where it is shown that God's law is clear and simple. However, much of this Message Bible I've read is a clear mockery and violation of the KJV 1611. Many times it inserts words and whole concepts that cannot be found in the KJV 1611! For example, the infamous Matthew 7:1-5 where Jesus condemns hypocritical judgement, is magically transformed into not judging at all in The Message's version. It is completely heretical to distort the Bible to such a degree as that. Matthew clearly states that it is hypocritical judgement that is unwanted, but once you are clear of sin you can judge as you please. The Message, however, ignores this altogether and perverts Scripture by introducing it's own hippie love message which amounts to "Don't judge anybody...don't be holier than thou...you have no right".

Obviously this is a heretical text, and a mockery of the Bible that no True Christian™ would ever consider seriously, but I want to make my point clear: No matter how far away The Message tried to stray from God's true word, The KJV 1611, in many verses it couldn't. It had to say the same thing.

[Capt. Aaron Portway]

I don't have mush to add Reverend, but I just wanted to say that that was very educational. Having never read that awful False Bible, I didn't know that there was some of God's original intent left in there

That's good I guess, I just wonder why the Lord didn't just smite whoever was watering down his Word like that. Is whoever wrote that False Bible still alive?

[Rev. Jim Osborne]

Brother Portway, I recommend you don't read that "Bible" at all. It was nothing but pain and misery to have to submit myself for the higher good of Biblical Research while studying it. Night after night, hours upon hours, I had to subjugate my eyeballs to read this Scriptural spaghetti, all for the good of teaching my fellow brothers and sisters of Landover the Truth behind it all. It is such an affront to God's Word, you might as well let Anton LaVey write a version of it...

Unfortunately, the author Eugene Peterson is still alive. He is a false Christian, a Presybterian, so that goes to show you he has no authority in trying to interpret the Bible in the first place.

Here's what he had to say about his "translation...

Originally Posted by Eugene Peterson

When Paul of Tarsus wrote a letter, the people who received it understood it instantly, When the prophet Isaiah preached a sermon, I can't imagine that people went to the library to figure it out. That was the basic premise under which I worked. I began with the New Testament in the Greek --- a rough and jagged language, not so grammatically clean. I just typed out a page the way I thought it would have sounded to the Galatians.

He admits that he, and he alone, is the sole interpreter of sacred scriptures! And he didn't interpret it out of "research", or "historical agreement", or even "textual analysis" but simply what "he thought it would've sounded like". This whole heretical text is simply nothing more than what Gene Peterson thinks the Bible should sound like!

We all read the Bible the way it's should, the way God commanded it in the KJV 1611. Gene Peterson reads it at his own subjective interpretations. Who are you to trust?

[Serenity-Millennium]

Yay, I inspired a whole thread! I love you, Reverend! But anyway, I think you'll notice I always quote from both The Message and the KJV whenever I post scripture. I post the more accurate translation, then post a paraphrase that helps understand that in more modern language. Is that so wrong?

[Pastor Isaac Peters]

Is that so wrong?

Yes. If Jesus went through the trouble of temporarily dying for people's sins, can't they go through the trouble of reading His words as He intended, namely, in Early Modern English?

[Serenity-Millennium]

But I post both version.