What Made You Change Your Mind?

I was taught KJVO as long as I could remember.

How did I leave KJVO? I began to actually read the word of God. That was step one. Step two was looking at the piety of those who were KJVO vs those who were not. Three, I looked at the issue relative to the veracity of the claims. The Spirit of God moved in my life and I thus turned away from KJVO. The entire process took a little less than a year.

 

I hope this thread is able to stay open for long.

 

I used to be KJVO. It started because that is what I had, it is what my mom bought for me because it is what she grew up with. I never really gave it a thought. I joined a church while I was in the Marine Corps that was IFB and they held strongly to the KJO view. I didn't have a problem with it, but I will admit that at first I thought it was a little silly to go to such lengths. Slowly I bought off on the issue because of the information they have available. It only takes so many times of being told that the NIV attempts to confuse the identity of Jesus and Satan to start to have real concerns about other translations.

When I left that church I couldn't find an IFB church that I really liked. I tried Bible Baptists, and there was something lacking there. So, I ended up back in a Southern Baptist church where the pastor usually used the English Standard Version. I was outraged at first, but after talking to him he suggested I look into source matierals, translation methods, and other issues and decide for myself. I decided to do just that, and have changed directions whole heartedly.

Now, my favorite Bible is still my KJV Thompson Chain Reference. But, sitting beside it on my desk are copies of the NIV, NKJ, HCSB, and a NLT. They all serve a purpose, and each is well done for its intended purpose in my opinion.

I do not hold it against people if they continue in the KJVO line of thought. I believe they are wrong, but I also believe the KJV is a valid translation and that they will get all the meat they need from its pages. I hate that it is used to divide the greater cause of the Church, but by fighting with them I cannot help but to do further damage.

 

I am willing to let it run as long as it does not degenerate into personal attacks or the same old tired arguments. The question is simple, lets stick to it.

 

In due time I began to think for myself and soon found that I couldn't be in agreement with the KJVO stance any longer. What was once a major suddenly became a minor in my over all desire to serve the Lord.

 

I was KJVO because that was what we were taught. Our church growing up never proclaimed itself KJVO but that teaching worked its way in. We were taught the other versions were innaccurate and that there was a great conspiracy to confuse the word of God and rob it of its authority.

Then a well meaning friend purchased for me a subscription to Peter Ruckman's newsletter (Bible Believers Bulliten or something like that). I did not know all the details of the KJVO movement but from the first issue I knew there was something wrong with these guys. So much hate, so little love. Sorry if that comes off as a personal attack on anyone. If that is what you believe so be it but to me it was like looking at a counterfit bill. At first I did not know what was wrong but I knew it wasn't right.

That led me to study the issue deeper. I bought books on the subject including ones by Ripplinger and Ruckman. Ripplinger's "New Age Bible Versions" really blew me away. I could not understand how anyone could believe that stuff.

I am still KJVP, but now I can study and learn for myself.

 

I grew up in churches that used mainly the KJV..
Then I got involved in a IFB church that was KJVO... this church was part of a IFB fellowship in and around Charleston WV, and a lot of it's churches were almost cult like.. The Pastor had total rule, and was even allowed to dictate what the wives wore in and out of church, no one was allowed a TV, etc...
The church I was involved in was not as cultish as the others in the fellowship, but it had the elements of a cult now as I think back.

The KJVO issue was driven down my throat.

Until I started going to another Baptist church.
I was then challenged to think for myself, and not take what the pastor says as gospel...

I looked at many different writers... and this only confused me.
It wasn't until I found the evidence in Bible itself that Jesus wasn't a Onlyist...
As a matter of fact, he read from a different version of the OT than the KJV uses!

So the question came to me... Which person should I follow, Jesus or the KJVO pastor? Easy answer.

If Jesus didn't use the Masoretic text (which is the OT text of the KJV), then why should I be bound to it?

To me the truth of using other versions is clear.

I saw the truth and the truth set me free.

As a matter of fact, I came to BB after googling "KJVO" in 2003... Back then I was still trying to settle the issue in my mind and thanks to Robycop, C4K, BrianT (which no longer posts), Dr. Bob, and even Quickening Spirit (which no longer is here, and was KJVO, but I gleaned so much by being able to debate him) and many more for helping me find this truth.

 

I had been saved for about 3 years, never paying any attention to the KJVO issue, until a group of men tried to force KJVO upon my dad and me. I therefore resolved to really STUDY the issue to see if there was anything to it, that maybe I'd missed something.

What I saw was that the supporters of that doctrine had to use artificial supports to keep it above water. Particularly glaring was the complete lack of support in the AV1611 itself; none is found in neither the text nor the translators' commentaries.

I also found the MAN-MADE SOURCE of KJVO. and I realized that if GOD had meant for all English users to be KJVO, He woulda SAID SO. I realized that any doctrine about something as important as God's word HAD TO BE FROM GOD in order to be true, and KJVO is NOT from God.

It's not something I developed overnight.

 

I was KJVO from 1987-2002. It was the only thing I was ever taught. I started to get away from it by attending a solid church and seminary and finally getting to hear "the other side of the KJVO argument" Once I started listening and not letting my pre-conceived biases get in the way, then I was able to process what I was hearing. It took a while, but I finally realized that Ps. 12:6,7 is not talking about the preservation of the KJV.. I realized a lot of things that I had been taught by well-intentioned people were wrong and that they were not being fair by presenting both sides of the issue. I noticed that people in the KJVO camp, taught the same stuff, similar to memorizing a script, but what always nagged at me, were some of the "answers" that were given to the objections and what would someone do, if they were ever asked about something that was not in the "script" The best that the KJVO crowd does was teach people to parrot back answers without really understanding what is being said. I currently use the NKJV... The KJV is a good translation, but it is that, a translation.