I believe Easter is correct. I also believe 1 Tim 6:10 is correct.
The argument about Shakespeare is an argument about dumbing down literature or even science that is complex and difficult. Should we dumb down Physics because it is complex and difficult to learn? Why not just reduce the scriptures to these children's Bibles so nobody has any difficulty reading it?
If God can translate from one language to another without error, so can man. You can not give me one reason why this is not so. Awhile back I listed an article from a translator who was at the time translating the scriptures into another language. He said if the scriptures can be understood, then they can be translated. I agree. This is simply a false argument people have invented. Yes, there are difficulties in translating I am sure, but if the scriptures can be understood, they can be translated.
Footnotes introduce doubt plain and simple. When a footnote says something like "better manuscripts omit the last twelve verses of Mark 16" this immediately casts doubt on scripture. You cannot be certain if those verses should be there or not, so how can you possibly have faith in them?
And I say God has always preserved his word pure. It cannot be in two different lines of text that differ by thousands of words, dozens of verses, and missing complete passages.
If you can believe that two texts that are so widely different are exactly the same, it is you that is not dealing with reality.
Okay, this thread is totally getting out of line and I am just as guilty as anybody here. Winman has derailed it with the KJVO stuff and we all took him on hook line and sinker.
Winman the subject is: "Are Translations Inspired?" Drop the KJVO stuff, because it is not the subject. If you want to open another ridiculous KJVO thread, I'll let you do it unless the other moderators shut it down.
We've been over this stuff enough and you are not going to listen to factual information anymore than a person who uses an MV is going to buy your same old arguments.
Back on are translations inspired, or I'll shut it down. This is getting ridiculous and I helped, so I take much of the responsibility for the derailing. But, I just felt someone needed to correct your theology.
Back to the subject, I think the Lord can help any translator in maybe placing a better group of words into his mind if he is in tune with the Spirit or not, because God does not want his MESSAGE corrupted. As I just listened to a professor, his statement was (I'm paraphrasing I am going on memory.) He points out errors in ALL translations.
His statement was: "God's message was inspired by the MEANING of the Words written down and also the intent of the original writers. All copies of translations since vary in accuracy to one level or another, and it depends on the accuracy of the translation as to how close that Bible is to the Inspired documents."
He also said: "Most modern translations have been worked over very hard to make them say the same MESSAGE (Words--was the same meaning in KJV days before periods, sentences, and today's grammar was added.).
So, if you have a good translation and that translation is more accurate the later it is again depending on the translation itself because it says words we understand today. Point: "What if I were to read the KJV and say that, Peter was stoned. To a group of unchristian and untrained college students. A better translation would be "Peter received a stoning."
As I say and most scholars and pastors who are educated in these matters (whether self educated or formally in the right way) they all indicate that the Ancient Texts are not an issue anymore since only about 1% and it is all repetition of something else (except for maybe handling snakes and drinking poison and what does that have to do with anything, sure we know the desciples could do miracles, not necessarily all Christians---this was proof that Jesus was from God and handling snakes is unnecessary.)
So if the texts are within 1% of full accuracy, then we come to why we translate. As the professor then said, "It is because in 2050, the generation will need a translation in their language and not in 2010 languge. This is not a "dumbing" down, it is changing to the used language (Examples: stoned, gay, etc.); then we come to the conclusion, that translations provide newer generations with newer vocabulary and wording, but God holds His MESSAGE (words--in 1611), inaccurate and without error, not the individual sentence structures that sometimes can be misunderstood or badly translated.
Another thought is that a Bible translated by a committee is usually much more accurate than a one man Bible. Professional translators are more accurate, higher level editors check it and then it is proofed by English instructors of very high level who make sure the grammar in ENGLISH is correct, accurate and consistent throughout the book.
Can God have His hand in that process: Sure. I still believe God can do anything, he just didn't tell us that translations would be inerrant in the "wording and punctuation." I think God does guide some translators a little, but obviously, like all things today, it is not your level of faith that may cause you to die of cancer. Therefore, the translators, will and have made mistakes, including those who recopied the Bishop's so that the King of England would have a monopoly on the printing and use of it.
