"If you believe everything you read in a "translation" you are stark raving bonkers." Bonzo3legs

I have to firmly disagree, Bonzo. At the risk of being somewhat serious here:

If your actual point is that anyone has to be "stark raving bonkers" to believe the Bible...no. If, as you are growing up, everyone who is close to you and supportive of you tells you to believe the Bible, you may be in error to do so, but you don't have to be "stark raving bonkers".

If you do literally mean that you have to be "bonkers" to believe a translation...no. Leaving aside the question of believing in the Bible in any form: there are numerous translations out there done by honest, diligent scholars deeply trained in the original languages. I say that as having known such people quite well. While there will always be questions as to how well any translation (of anything) conveys every nuance of the original, by far more people would get a better grasp of the original from a competent translation than by trying to read the originals with a superficial acquaintance with the languages.