Reloading and Understanding
I have been reloading for almost 70 years, my Dad starting me when I was 10 years old. During those years I made mistakes, thought I knew what I was doing when I didn't, and studied, learned and am still learning. There's always more to learn!
In time people began asking me to teach them how to reload. At times I have held classes as well as taught one-on-one with friends and acquaintances . When I have been asked to help someone learn to reload, my first suggestion is for them to buy 3 or 4 reloading manuals and read them each from cover to cover several times. It's important not to use just one manual, for the amount of data and the variables are too many, too much and too important to get just one viewpoint.
It's the same with the Bible. My experience showed me that we should use various translations and read and study them. Will you find differences? Of course! It's the same as with reloading manuals. What do you do about the differences? We should study and discover why there are differences and what they mean. You will figure things out in time and learn a lot along the way!
When learning to reload as well as long as we are reloading, we need to refer back to the manuals. We are human beings and are prone to not remember everything correctly. Life brings enough stresses and changes that it is a good idea to be checking ourselves and confirming what we've learned. The manuals provides a backup that we need. And I have found that there is always something more to be learned. Different ways of doing the same things, improved tools, new components … all sorts of stuff!
This applies to learning the Bible as well. I personally find the scriptures to always have more things to discover and learn. It has led me to believe there will be no end to the discovery and learning. And to me that is exciting!
--
Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.
Reloading and Understanding
by Fivegunner 
, LOWELL Mi., Sunday, September 15, 2024, 15:04 (67 days ago) @ JimT
Very well said!
Excellent analogy
You have given me something to think about. I've always been KJB
Reader.
Excellent analogy
by Paul 
, Monday, September 16, 2024, 09:48 (66 days ago) @ Frank S
I was raised on the KJV and it "sounds like the Bible" more than any other English translation. But it is, after all, a translation. Then when I was still little I started hearing the Ferreira de Almeida version in Portuguese and started being exposed to more modern English versions as well. Then we moved to Coffee Country and found most folk stuck in the Reina Valera 1960, which has a cult following like the KJV 1611 in the US. Interesting that they opted for the 1960 revision over what is labeled on Bible Gateway as the "Reina Valera Antigua", but the difference between those two shows the importance of not limiting oneself to one translation as the RVA says that a deacon can not be bi-lingual, a weird, strange and non-helpful translation for those who don't take time to study out what is behind the translated word in order to understand the original meaning. The verse in question is 1 Timothy 3:8 and the KJV renders the same word as "not double tongued" which renders out in more modern usage as "not hypocritical".
Regarding the Bible, folks forget that even the KJV is a translation, and one done at the behest of an ungodly tyrant. Each translation has something to offer, if only a different perspective on how a phrase may be rendered in order to better comprehend the meaning of the original text. Being tri-lingual gives me a very different perspective on the matter compared to folk who only speak/read/write one language. I do not, for example, trust "Google Translate" or other such translation services as they are mostly word based, rather than thought based. The language one reads in a translation is different from the original and the culture of the translators is different from that of the original, which means that in order for us to better understand the original meaning it is helpful to get a perspective from a variety of different translators. I've got a hard copy of more than 30 translations in three languages, plus access to many more via Bible Gateway and other electronic options. I've found that even languages I'm not fluent in (Italian, Romanian, etc) can give me an insight on occasion, such as when looking at how John 1:1 is translated. The New World Version by the Watchtower Society is the worst "translation" I've found to date, but even it can be used to point readers towards Jesus the Christ and salvation through Him.
Reloading manuals, however, are not as thick on the ground, more's the pity. Some have gotten lost over the years (due to moves, etc). I'd really love to get my hands on a copy of Nonte's Outdoor Life book on reloading. He had a lot of good stuff in there, but I've not had access to that book since late in the 20th Century. When playing around with powders and projectiles and primers and etc, it REALLY helps to get more than one perspective, and to remember that components DO change over the years. So the advice on starting loads is a VERY important bit of info when working on a new load for any firearm.
I greatly appreciate JimT's thoughts on both these subjects. It helps to learn to think things through and not just go with "gut feeling" or what one's favorite book may indicate without double checking and working our way through the thought process.