Julie Ballantyne Brown
2 min readFeb 26, 2022

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Which version/translation of the Bible do you interpret as the 'right' one? Hebrew only? Greek additions? Nicene conference? How things are translated make a huge difference. What scriptures are included and those not included make a huge difference, decided by groups of prosperous men hundreds of years ago with different cultural realities and expectations. Why would God, (yes, I believe), only endorse one version of a text for so many millions of people with so many different life experiences and realities? The favorite evangelical interpretation of the Bible, notably the King James version, has damaged so many millions of people with how it is preached and used. I was one of them for a long time and it almost destroyed me. I don't fit in that pigeonhole. Telling a three-year-old that they're going to burn forever in a lake of fire if they don't accept Jesus is child abuse, yet it still happens to many today. Telling gay people that they're going to hell for loving someone is appalling, but it happens and some take their own lives as a result of treatment they have received from the church. I realize that this will have no effect on you. I came from the world you are in and I know how closed it is to any reality but the one that is driven in by fear and conformity. I hope for you that one day you are open enough to accept every person instead of judging them on whether or not they believe the literal Bible is the final word on everything, but I'm not optimistic unless you have something very personal happen that challenges that belief. That's usually when the mind begins to open. There are no conditions on God's love, only man's made-up rules.

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Julie Ballantyne Brown
Julie Ballantyne Brown

Written by Julie Ballantyne Brown

Future London resident. Follow Julie on Twitter: @BrownBallantyne or on FB and Instagram: @JulieBallantyneBrown

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