Is it ever ok to use a Protestant Bible version?

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Hi everyone. Is it ever ok to use a Protestant Bible version such as when witnessing to a Protestant about the Catholic Church? 🤷:confused:
 
I have several Bibles - both Catholic versions with all the books, and Protestant ones. My favorite to read and have devotions with is the first Bible I ever bought when I became a Christian. It’s the NIV which is Protestant. They are both God’s word - I can’t imagine it would be a problem unless you needed to refrence one of the books they took out.

I am certain that others will come behind me though and say in their opinion, it’s wrong. You could always ask your Priest? 🤷
 
I have both Catholic and Protestant bibles. And I have more than one translation on both sides of the aisle.
 
Is it ok? Yes it’s ok.

The coolest thing ever is to ask to see the one their holding and show them while saying " it’s in your book too."

I had a Mormon gentleman question me as to why
“Catholics don’t have Apostles?”

my answer was (very calmly and lovingly)

“To be a true Apostle,one had to have been an eyewitness from the time of Jesus’ baptism to His resurection,in order to hold that office.”

He got very angry and started to shake, his keyes in his pockets didn’t stop jingling the whole time.

His response was

“Well that’s what your Catholic Bible says!”

I smiled and said

“Actually I found that in yours.”

He demanded to know where

“Acts1:12-26”

That was the last time we ever discussed religion. Before that he just kept dumping all this Mormon stuff and writings on me. I remained polite even when he said that the Church had “Lost the keyes” I decided he was done. He’s an older co-worker that still talks to me but doesn’t “look down” on me anymore.

I have many Bibles with different translations and I use BibleGateway for additional versions.
biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=1&version=31
 
The only caution is to watch the translations. Since the rebellion, some translations have been “massaged” to lean toward Protestant doctrine. I often use the KJV to prove Catholic doctrine, since (but one example) in 2 Thessalonians 2:!5 it quotes Paul as saying “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

This reveals that Paul, the Protestant’s most-quoted Apostle, admonished early Christians to keep both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. This is a good rebuff for those sola scripturists of the world. Then, they usually demand a “list of Sacred Traditions”, so that they can read them!!! It is clear that they lack a complete liturgy and that to them, faith is established by reading.
 
I know Jimmy Akin often uses the King James when he wants to do studying because of the very literal translation. Of course it does not contain all the books, but it can be a useful supplement to other translations when reading alone or when discussing with Protestants!
 
Holly3278 said:
Hi everyone. Is it ever ok to use a Protestant Bible version such as when witnessing to a Protestant about the Catholic Church? 🤷:confused:
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I tried to give up mine, but ended up going back to it. Catholic Bibles aren’t ‘fancy’ enough – no red printing, for example. I’m weak. I reached for my favorite old Protestant Bible, and have kept reading it.
 
I don’t see why not. I primarily use NAB (St. Joseph Edition). However, I also keep with me the NIV and KJV Bible versions to ‘consult’ on verses that I need broader understanding. Better yet, having a Concordance of the Bible (I have Strong’s) enable me to learn more about the sacred scripture. There is a Catholic Serendipity Bible (NAB) that is tremendously useful for personal and small group study. Knowing more of the Word is a happy experience, just as it is enormousely spiritual. If I find some little disconnect on a verse here and there between the two versions, I go to the spiritual authorities. So far, so good here. God is good.🙂
 
fellowChristian said:
Is it ok? Yes it’s ok.

The coolest thing ever is to ask to see the one their holding and show them while saying " it’s in your book too."

I had a Mormon gentleman question me as to why
“Catholics don’t have Apostles?”

my answer was (very calmly and lovingly)

“To be a true Apostle,one had to have been an eyewitness from the time of Jesus’ baptism to His resurection,in order to hold that office.”

He got very angry and started to shake, his keyes in his pockets didn’t stop jingling the whole time.

His response was

“Well that’s what your Catholic Bible says!”

I smiled and said

“Actually I found that in yours.”

He demanded to know where

“Acts1:12-26”

That was the last time we ever discussed religion. Before that he just kept dumping all this Mormon stuff and writings on me. I remained polite even when he said that the Church had “Lost the keyes” I decided he was done. He’s an older co-worker that still talks to me but doesn’t “look down” on me anymore.

I have many Bibles with different translations and I use BibleGateway for additional versions.
biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=1&version=31
Click to expand...
The Apostles asked Jesus privately what the signs would be concerning His second Coming and the end of this age. Jesus replied, “Take heed that no man decieves you. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am Christ’, and shall mislead many.”

Show them that one.👍
 
Most Bible translations, whether Catholic or Protestant, are diligently researched and honestly translated. But be careful of what a previous poster called ‘massaging’ the translation. For instance, in the NIV, the greek word for ‘works’ is translated differently when the English word ‘works’ would seem to support Catholic doctrine. In these verses, it is usually translated as ‘do good things’ or something similar.

catholic.com/library/Bible_Translations_Guide.asp
 
Chris_LaRock said:
Mormons reject both Catholic and Protestant theology, which places them in a third catagory.
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While I totally agree we must keep in mind that the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons were both products of the Protestant revolution in protesting the one true Church of Jesus Christ. The third category of which you note can be said to be all who distort the nature of our God. Both Catholics and Protestants acknowledge the triune nature of God but after that we drift apart.

Again I state that you are correct. I just wanted to add my penny and a half…teachccd 🙂
 
I, too, have many Bibles. Even the KJV apocrypha.

The ones I would avoid are the “dynamic equivalent” versions. They are not translations, but paraphrases of translations. That allows for a lot of twisting.

I agree with what jfallaw said about the NIV. It tends to avoid using words that might back up Catholic doctrine. Plus the notes are all one-sided, as if Catholicism doesn’t even exist.

I use the RSV-CE, because it is also an approved Protestant translation. The CE includes the Deuterocanonical books.

I’m also blessed to have software that breaks both the KJV and the NASB down, inserting Strong’s numbers, so that I can look at the original Greek or Hebrew word. It’s great for studying, and debating on the internet, but my desktop is a bit unwieldy to carry around with me for those parking lot discussions… 😃

I hope to get software for a Hebrew and Greek interlinear soon! Then I can really pretend to be a scholar! 😉

God bless us all,

Ruthie
 
It is fun trying to talk to them when they have their Bibles in their hands, but they usually close them rapidly when I start talking. I have no idea why I have that effect on them! Is it me?

Peace,

Gail
 
GailMac said:
It is fun trying to talk to them when they have their Bibles in their hands, but they usually close them rapidly when I start talking. I have no idea why I have that effect on them! Is it me?

Peace,

Gail
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Perhaps you show them the parts of their Bibles that they never considered before?? Same thing happens with me and many times they just walk away. HHMMM 😉 … I wonder why as well…teachccd 🙂
 
Ruthie said:
I’m also blessed to have software that breaks both the KJV and the NASB down, inserting Strong’s numbers, so that I can look at the original Greek or Hebrew word. It’s great for studying, and debating on the internet, but my desktop is a bit unwieldy to carry around with me for those parking lot discussions… 😃

I hope to get software for a Hebrew and Greek interlinear soon! Then I can really pretend to be a scholar! 😉

God bless us all,

Ruthie
Click to expand...
What software is that?
 
Ruthie said:
I, too, have many Bibles. Even the KJV apocrypha.

The ones I would avoid are the “dynamic equivalent” versions. They are not translations, but paraphrases of translations. That allows for a lot of twisting.

I agree with what jfallaw said about the NIV. It tends to avoid using words that might back up Catholic doctrine. Plus the notes are all one-sided, as if Catholicism doesn’t even exist.

I use the RSV-CE, because it is also an approved Protestant translation. The CE includes the Deuterocanonical books.

I’m also blessed to have software that breaks both the KJV and the NASB down, inserting Strong’s numbers, so that I can look at the original Greek or Hebrew word. It’s great for studying, and debating on the internet, but my desktop is a bit unwieldy to carry around with me for those parking lot discussions… 😃

I hope to get software for a Hebrew and Greek interlinear soon! Then I can really pretend to be a scholar! 😉

God bless us all,

Ruthie
Click to expand...
The one Protestant version I tend to consult most frequently is NOT the best-selling NIV but the NASB. I always felt they hewed much closer to the Hebrew and Greek, even at the cost of being regarded as “wooden”, than did the NIV.

But I do wish the Lockman Foundation - the NASB’s translators - would bend just a bit and put out a translation of the Apocrypha. I hear that the English Standard Version may have an edition of the Apocrypha out soon, but I’d still like to see what the Lockman scholars could do.

For the record, I would not be interested in an NIV Apocrypha, since it would likely have “distortions” just as the rest of that version does.
 
teachccd said:
While I totally agree we must keep in mind that the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons were both products of the Protestant revolution in protesting the one true Church of Jesus Christ. The third category of which you note can be said to be all who distort the nature of our God. Both Catholics and Protestants acknowledge the triune nature of God but after that we drift apart.

Again I state that you are correct. I just wanted to add my penny and a half…teachccd 🙂
Click to expand...
Jehovah’s Witnesses are an odd group. They preach that the RCC is the whore of Babylon and that no true Christian would have anything to do with them or anything even remotely connected to them. But the name Jehovah was created by a Spanish Roman Catholic Monk.

Think about it.😃
 
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