Ingigo Insight

Greetings dear ones!

Recently in an article posted on The Spirit Guide mention was made of a conversation in which judgment was passed because ones path and beliefs were not in tune with the Bible. As one brought up in a strict religious environment with the ultimate importance and life decisions placed on the Bible, I thought it would be a great opportunity to begin a series on the Bible.

In this series we will discuss the Bible as we know it today, the variety of translations, differences in these translations and people’s reasons for following the teachings in the Bible. This first set of information, though at times can be a little dull, will provide a crucial foundation for the information that will follow.

What is this information? Very simply put, with the aid of history one can see precisely where any inspiration from a higher power changed to what man thought was best in regards to the Bible. Did you know that the Bible as we have it today is incomplete? Yes in fact both for the Old and New Testament that there are many, many more writings. I will show you what these are, where they were found, by whom, when and why it was they were not included in the Bible canon.

First and foremost let me make two points perfectly clear:

1. All statements of fact WILL be backed up with reference(s) for you to research on your own. I would never purpose to present myself as some kind of independent “authority” on the Bible. Any knowledge I have of the subject is from my own reading, not my own ideas.
2. My official opinion of the Bible should me made clear, in all fairness, right from the beginning. I see the Bible simply as….INK ON PAPER. As such, like many books, there can be a wonderful message and statements of fact and/or wisdom. This does not mean however, like every other book, that it equals an unquestionable authority for living our lives.

Again, my opinions are not based on my own bias but rather as a result of the reading I’ve done and will be sharing with you.

SO, let’s give everyone some great, eyebrow raising questions to pose to your favorite pastor, minister, elder or priest :)

Where to Begin?

For thousands of years the Bible has been an authoritative source to man, spanning the globe, a collection of translations in a multitude of languages. Wars have been fought over it’s contents and teachings. People have been imprisoned, tortured and burned alive for displaying characteristics presumed to be the work of the Devil.



In the modern world ones interpretation of and practice of belief in the Bible has affected elections as well as served as a basis for central powers to take control of countries, to create and change laws.

Indeed, based on human history, the Bible has shaped, for good and for bad, peoples lives. Yes the very existence, actions and purpose of humankind is explained, instructed and judged all within the Bible.

What are some examples of human conflicts over religion, and hence the Bible? The first that comes to my mind is the Crusades . Other popular examples are the French Wars of Religion, the Reconquista , Catholics versus Protestants in England and my all time favorite World War II and the Nazi Bible.



Yes that’s right, Adolf Hitler who some believe was actually a Christian , re-wrote passages in the Bible to enhance his teachings of the Aryan agenda. When I first read of this, the question I asked myself is how could people actually follow and believe such teachings in this day and age? Anyone outside of Germany surely would see through such propaganda.

Well my friend, can you really say that throughout history there have not been other, similar changes made for similar reasons? Do you know, without question, the Bible sitting on your bookshelf right now has not been similarly tampered with? Did you in fact research, beyond the printing on the dust jacked of your Bible, how your particular translation came to be about and why it is better for you than another?

As we know it today, in the Western Christian world, the Bible consists of 66 writings, or individual books. There are 39 books which make up the Old Testament beginning with Genesis and ending with Malachi. The New Testament begins with the gospels named as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and ends with the book of Revelation.

Common translations include The King James version, the New International Version, the New Living Translation, the New American Standard , the New Revised Standard Version, Young’s Literal Translation and the New Jerusalem Bible. Less common, though mass produced, are the Book of Mormon, which Mormons use congruently with the Bible, and the New World Translation used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Topic #1: The Bible - Divinely Inspired?

The first topic, and by far the most relevant to our discussion, is what about the Bible sets it as an authority? Such an authority that masses upon masses of people have used as their guide for living their daily lives?

2 Timothy 3:16 (New International Version)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:16 (New World Translation)
All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:16 (King James Version)
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2 Timothy 3:16 (Young's Literal Translation)
every Writing [is] God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness,



What is listed above is a very simple basis and example of one idea, that of divine inspiration. In fact in ONE sentence it is declared as fact that an entire body of work the composition of which spanned many years and had many different writers ALL comes from God. By that very statement it is asserted that all scripture is above reproof, above question and is to be viewed as nothing less than the very voice of God. Who are mere humans to ignore such a force?

Though followers of the Bible agree that it is infallible, their actions show otherwise. How many Christian denominations are there in world? Certainly more than I can name off the top of my head, yet they as Christians all believe in Jesus Christ as their savior, hence their salvation is a result of their unbreakable faith in him. They read the same Bible, yet come to different conclusions on practice. Why is this?

Unfortunately not all verses in the Bible are as clear in content as 2 Timothy 3:16. Just take a few minutes to peruse the book of Revelation and this will be abundantly clear. In addition the age old debate of accuracy of translations and application of the Bible has caused many to leave churches, or even start their own.

In the above examples you can see very MILD examples of this. Take for instance the difference in the phrase, “profitable for teaching,” as referenced in the Young’s Literal Translation and “profitable for doctrine” as used in the King James version.


Dictionary.com defines the root word of teaching, teach, as “to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in.”

Dictionary.com defines doctrine as “a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion or government: Catholic doctrines; the Monroe Doctrine.”

Imagine if you only had access to the King James version and instead of seeing the Bible as a device meant to teach, it was a tool of religious or governmental policy. Certainly that is a quite a contrast, affecting your life, based on a single word.

The King James version of the Bible contains approximately 783,137 words.
(as a comparison Tolstoy’s epic War and Peace contains approximately 560,000 words.) Therefore, strictly speaking in a numbers sense, that is 783,137 possible variations from one translation to the next. As we saw above, even a difference in a single word can cause a different meaning for the reader.

So then, not only does one scripture tell the reader they are reading the words of God, but it also can either be the difference between teachings and policy.

Surely one of your questions is similar to mine. How can the contents within a book certify that same book as authoritative? E.g. If J.K. Rowling asserted that the Harry Potter series was not actually a work of fiction but instead a true account of a real person, would you believe her? Or instead would you want outside opinions and proof to show what the truth really is?

So then why do the masses take the Bible as inspired by God? What is contained within the Bible, not just what religious leaders say, that convinces them it is from God?

This will be the topic of the next article in the series. We will see examples of scriptures claiming divine inspiration, as well as examples from other sources, outside of the Bible giving similar information, yet that are not viewed as divinely inspired.