Do you read the NIV,NAS,KJV,NLT,...or any of the countless other 'versions' of the Bible? I ask == do you know how it got to you in that translation? The reasons why and the languages through which it was translated? I believe that so much was lost in translation during the first early versions, that the Bible of 'today' hardly looks like the Bible is was written as.

What's my point? Do you want to be reading the Bible that man has constantly handled in his errant ways? Or would you rather read the original version. The way it was written by the Authors themselves(who may I also interject were HUMAN SINNERS). The only speaker/'writer' in the Bible who was perfect and who's words can never be disputed is Jesus Christ's.
Have you ever read just and only the things he wrote/spoke?
Further more in their original languages?

It is absolutely terrifying the differences between the KJV and the original Hebrew/Greek of the Bible.
Western hands have rubbed off on the 'common' scriptures too much.
I mention the KJV because do you know that it was translated from Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic into LATIN first and THEN into ENGLISH? Do you know how much differs between those langauges? THe grammar, syntax, not to mention the beauty of the original languages being obliterated by the much less beautiful and less poetic langauge of English?
I also believe though that now, as more people become aware of this fact, there are more direct translations available. Pick one up...you may be surprised.

For all of you naysayers-- "None of that matters, the Truth of God is indestructible, and His spirit resides in the Word. Therefore it doesn't matter -- any of that." I agree with the first 2 sentences. But the last one, no... Nowadays, we have more people desire to reason and think about what it is they believe, instead of being scared into any religion. So when we are able to present the FACTS to our neighbors, and have a solid knowledge of the history behind what it is we say we believe and be able to converse with them it gets us all so much farther than using circular logic and cutting and pasting the very thing to disprove them when they don't believe it in the first place, that gets you ABSOLUTELY nowhere.

Therefore--see the difference in the way YOU read 1 John when you know the background of it and the fact that the word 'BROTHER' he uses so often is ALSO the Word Jesus uses when He tells us all to love your NEIGHBOUR when he issues the only 2 rules to follow (the Great Commands-- Found in MT 22:39, MK 12:31, Luke 10:27). The same word in the original language, just so happens that the Bible which you are reading, and the translator which translated it decided that the word brother should be used as opposed to neighbour.
Puts a different slant on it eh?