bjh said:
Sracer,
What you say is true. Also, I think that you would agree with me when I say that the same can be said about the KJV. There are at least two groups that I am aware of that either a) only use the KJV (+ the Book of Mormon) or b) they use the KJV or the NWT (JW's). I don't remember that they believe in the Tri-unity of God.
When handled accurately, does the KJV support either JW or LDS doctrine? No, absolutely not. Neither does the NIV. (Is. 9:6; John 1:1-3, 14,18; 20:28; Rom 9:5)
I don't believe it is the same thing. Mormons could not support their theology on the Bible (NIV or KJV) alone. That is why they have "additional" revelation in the BoM. The same goes for JW's. Their theology cannot stand up to scrutiny when using the Bible (KJV or NIV) alone. That is why they too have "additional" revelation in "The Watchtower"
The reason why Mormons and JW's initially used KJV was to lend them a sense of credibility among Christians. "See, we use the same Bible as you do..." goes a long way when witnessing to people. For the JW's, when their theology shifted and could no longer be supported by KJV, they devised their NWT. (which was later further modified to support doctrinal changes)
Of course neither one used the NIV because it wasn't around back then.
If someone wants to allegorize scripture, then it doesn't matter what translation they use because they can pretty much make scripture say what they want it to say.
It boils down to proper hermeneutical principles of literal, historical, and grammatical interpretation. Using the same method of interpretation, you
could end up with differing doctrine if you use NIV vs. KJV. That's the point I'm trying to make.
I understand that many folks prefer the NIV translation. And I don't "look down" upon those who do. Nor should anyone feel "less of a Christian" because they do. We just all need to be aware that there are differences and what they are.
Heck, I own a copy of the "God's Word" translation which reads as smooth as silk, but contains inaccuracies. I'll read it occasionally when I want to quickly catch up on a story for background. It is very easy to read. But I would never dream of using it for devotionals, Bible study, or research. For that, I stick with the "old notes" Scofield KJV.
(hehe, no, I'm not trying to draw a comparison between NIV and GW
... just that I'm aware of the differences between GW and KJV and use them accordingly.)